A red pesto fit for a party

We had a party last weekend. I sometimes get stressed about the menu and timing and we wanted to keep the food simple. A has been baking bread lately so we thought bread and dips would be nice. We already had good recipes for guacamole and baba ganoush, but three's a charm. In winter we can't get good tomatoes here in Northern Europe, but we wanted something red and spicy. Red pesto? Red pesto!

I almost completely copied the brilliant recipe from Imafoodblog.com I only converted the measures and used a little less oil. Next time I would consider making only half a batch – this one made about 400 ml, which is too much to eat in one go!

Sun dried tomato pesto

150ml fresh basil leaves, pressed together
50g almonds, whole or flakes
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp coarse salt
200g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
200ml freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200ml good olive oil

Drain your sun dried tomatoes, lightly rinse them, and then pat them dry with a paper towel. Toast your almonds in a dry, hot pan; it takes 4-10 minutes, depending on if you use whole or flaked ones. You will see and smell when they are done. Using a food processor or a hand held stick blender, combine the basil, toasted almonds, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Process until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes and Parmesan and process until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Now stream in the olive oil slowly and process until the pesto comes together. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.