Pesto rosso fusilli with cherry tomatoes and basil
This summery fusilli dish from Paul Ainsworth is served with a homemade pesto rosso recipe. If you're short on time, you can buy confit garlic in jars from delis and blitz into the purée needed for the recipe.
Ingredients
Pesto rosso fusilli with cherry tomatoes and basil
- 260g of fusilli pasta
- 100g of spring onions
- 100g of roquito pepper
- 60g of butter
- 200ml of vegetable stock, good quality
- 30g of sweet chilli sauce
- 50g of crème fraîche
- 100g of cherry tomatoes , quartered
- 10g of basil , chopped
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 lemon , juiced (to taste)
- salt
- pepper
Confit garlic
Pesto rosso
- 75g of pine nuts , toasted
- 200g of sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 lemon , juiced
- 150ml of olive oil
- salt
Equipment
- Pestle and mortar
Method
1
Make the confit garlic in advance as it takes a good few hours to cook. Place the peeled cloves and thyme in a small ovenproof dish and top with oil so the cloves are fully submerged. Slow cook in the oven at 80°C for 4–6 hours, or until very soft
2
Drain the garlic, pass the oil through a sieve and bottle the garlic oil – it can be kept for up to 6 weeks. Blend the garlic to a purée and measure out 50g for the pesto and 120g to stir through the pasta. You can store any remaining purée in the fridge for other dishes
3
To make the pesto, place the pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic purée in a pestle and mortar or blender and grind to a paste. Add the oil to loosen and season with the lemon juice and salt. Measure out 200g of pesto for the pasta, reserving any extra in the fridge
- 200g of sun-dried tomatoes
- 75g of pine nuts , toasted
- salt
- 1/2 lemon , juiced
- 150ml of olive oil
4
Cook the fusilli in salted boiling water for 8–10 minutes or until al dente
- 260g of fusilli pasta
5
In a heavy-based pan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. When hot, add the spring onions and roquito peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add the butter, 120g garlic purée and vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 100g of spring onions
- 100g of roquito pepper
- 200ml of vegetable stock, good quality
- 60g of butter
6
Reduce slightly then add your pesto rosso, sweet chilli sauce and crème fraîche. Fold through the tomatoes and basil (leaving some to garnish)
- 10g of basil , chopped
- 30g of sweet chilli sauce
- 50g of crème fraîche
- 100g of cherry tomatoes , quartered
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Pesto rosso fusilli with cherry tomatoes and basil
