This is adapted from a recipe that we learned at a Whole Foods Market cooking class. When we prepared this in class, it was served over homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach, ricotta and parmesan. It was delicious, but was a little bit too rich, with cheese in both the ravioli and the sauce, so I served this over plain pasta. In this version, I switched half-and-half for heavy cream and cut the amount a little bit. I also used dry-pack tomatoes, instead of oil-packed.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce
20 sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed), soaked in warm water for 5 – 10 minutes to soften
(You could also substitute 2 or 3 of the tomatoes with smoke-dried tomatoes, for an extra flavor “punch”. Using ALL smoke-drieds in this recipe would be too strong a flavor, but a couple adds a great taste.)
4 cloves garlic
about 1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 – 3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
(you may substitute the appropriate amount – probably less – of another fresh herb here, if you prefer – basil would be good, or oregano)
Place the sun-dried tomatoes (drained), garlic, parmesan cheese and nuts in a food processor or blender and puree until uniformly chopped. Add half of the olive oil and about 3/4 cup of the chicken stock. Puree until the pesto is smooth, adding more oil or stock, if necessary. Pour the pesto into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the cream and enough additional chicken stock to reach your desired consistency. Bring to a gentle boil, then add salt and pepper. Simmer, slowly, about 5 minutes, adding more stock, if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in fresh chopped parsley. Serve over pasta of your choice.
This is enough sauce for 1 lb. of pasta (we used gemelli, or “twins”), with about 1 cup left over for another use. If you like your pasta really “saucy”, then go ahead and use the whole batch. This would be great with a little sliced, grilled chicken mixed in. I also may try spreading some of the sauce on chicken breasts before baking. This would also be a GREAT sauce for a baked pasta dish (ziti, etc.), although I would not do lasagna with it, since it might be too rich once the ricotta is added into the equation.