This blog entry is brought to you by my wonderful fiancee!
This recipe is adapted from one found in How Easy is That? by Ina Garten. It was originally made with Parmesan cheese but I chose to go vegan. They came out quite savory so I'd say the cheese isn't a must.
Ingredients
Pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 large cloves garlic, minced
5 cups fresh basil
1-2 tsps kosher salt (extra to taste)
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
Other ingredients
12 fresh Roma tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Dried oregano
Fine salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degreees F.
Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with olive oil or olive oil spray. Set aside.
Pesto: Place pine nuts, garlic, and a dash of olive oil in a food processor. Run for 15 seconds or until homogenous. Add basil, salt, and pepper and, with food processor running, add remainder of olive oil. Process until pureed.
Tomatoes: Core and slice tomatoes in half widthwise. Place on pan. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread pesto on top of tomatoes. Bake for another 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Music suggestions:
- Mambo Italiano - Dean Martin
- Santa Lucia - Traditional Italian song
