Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street

Pesto calabrese, from the Calabria region that forms the “toe” of Italy‘s boot, is a simple puree with a base of sweet red peppers, tomatoes and ricotta cheese. It often includes nuts for richness and, on occasion, cooked eggplant for added creaminess. For our version, we char fresh red bell peppers in a hot skillet to soften their crisp texture and give them a subtle smokiness. We combine them with sun-dried tomatoes for their deep, concentrated, umami-rich flavor. We skip the eggplant but do process toasted sliced almonds into the pesto, then sprinkle some onto the sauced pasta for contrasting texture.

Don’t use extra-virgin olive oil to char the bell peppers. With a low smoke point, olive oil will scorch before the peppers are properly charred. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed or canola.