Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Spread Food

ROASTED RED PEPPER-PESTO SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat cream cheese and ricotta cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake 50 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Cover.
• Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 15 min. before serving to soften slightly. Serve with assorted crackers.

PESTO AND RED PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Beat cream cheese, pesto and mustard with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
• Place half of the cream cheese mixture in 2-cup plastic wrap-lined bowl; press cream cheese mixture firmly into bowl. Top with peppers. Cover with remaining cream cheese mixture, spreading to edge of bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm.
• Unmold cream cheese mixture onto serving plate; remove plastic wrap. Serve as a spread for the crackers.

LEMON AND RED PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Put water for the pasta on to boil. Cook pasta al dente.
• Meanwhile, remove the stem and seeds from the pepper. Neatly dice the flesh.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan.
• Add the pepper to the melted butter.
• Grate the rind of the lemon into the butter.
• Add one half of the lemon's juice, cream, and seasonings to taste, stirring gently. Keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready, but do not let the sauce bubble.
• Drain pasta and toss in sauce. Serve immediately, with the parmesan.

ROASTED GREEN PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• Cut peppers into quarters and spray lightly with olive oil. Roast under a high broiler for 8 minutes, or until blackened. Place in a paper bag and leave for 5 minutes. Peel.
• Meanwhile, seed and roughly chop hot peppers. Roughly chop garlic.
• Place roasted peppers, hot peppers, garlic and lemon juice in food processor and blend.
• Slowly pour in olive oil while the processor is running, until pesto is desired consistancy. Salt and pepper to taste and slather onto crackers with goat cheese.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• Toast the garlic in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes.
• Transfer the garlic to a plate to cool, then peel the cloves and mince.
• Process the garlic, peppers, parmesan, ricotta, shallot, parsley, thyme, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with your choice of al-dente pasta!

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND PESTO DIP

Steps:

• Mix pesto and half the cream cheese spread in medium bowl. Stir in half the sour cream.
• Spoon remaining cream cheese spread into separate medium bowl. Add peppers; mix well. Stir in remaining sour cream. Refrigerate both dips 2 hours.
• Spoon dips alternately into serving bowl; swirl with knife. Serve with crackers.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PESTO CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350°F.
• Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly on both sides with the 1/4 cup olive oil.
• Lightly toast both sides of bread in oven.
• While the crostini are still warm, rub the top of each one with 1 of the garlic cloves. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the red peppers, the remaining garlic clove, the almonds, cheese, 3 Tbs. of the parsley, the lemon juice, the 2 teaspoons olive oil and the cayenne pepper. Pulse until a coarse puree forms. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Place the crostini in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Spread about 2 teaspoons of the goat cheese on each crostini.
• Bake until the cheese is slightly soft and the crostini are warm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and top each with about 1 Tbs. of the red pepper pesto.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. parsley.

ROASTED RED PEPPER & PARSLEY PESTO WITH PENNE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the peppers, parsley, nuts, garlic and olive oil in a small food processor or mini chopper, and whizz to a pesto consistency. Season and mix in the Parmesan.
• Drain the pasta and return to the pan with the pesto. Stir and gently heat for 1 min, then sprinkle with a little more chopped parsley and serve.

TOMATOES ROASTED WITH PESTO

Steps:

• *If Making the Homemade Pesto:.
• Put walnuts, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil in through the feed tube and process until the pesto is pureed. Add the parmesan and puree for a minute. Use immediately or store in the fridge or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Core the tomatoes and then slice them across (not through the stem) in 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper.
• Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and spread each slice with pesto and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
• Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue baking for 7-10 minutes, until the parmesan is melted and begins to brown. Using a flat spatula, put the tomatoes onto a serving platter, sprinkle with extra salt and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.