Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 red peppers

30ml olive oil

½ onion, finely chipped

5ml chopped garlic

1 whole sun dried tomato (usually in 2 pieces), finely chopped

60-80ml chicken stock

5ml ready-made basil pesto

15ml balsamic vinegar

30ml light brown sugar

Method:

Heat oven to 200˚C. Place the peppers on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes until the skins are blackened. Remove from the oven and put into a plastic bag – this makes them sweat and the skins slip off more easily. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins with your fingers. Slice the peppers open, pick out and discard all the seeds and membrane, then roughly chop the red flesh.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, fry the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Add the chopped peppers and chopped sundried tomatoes and continue to fry for a few minutes, stirring to combine everything. Add about 60ml chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer to reduce and thicken.

Pour the contents of the pan into a blender, adding the pesto and balsamic vinegar. Blend until smooth and adjust the seasoning to taste. Return the sauce to the pan, add sugar and let it dissolve over the heat, simmering until the sauce reaches the consistency you prefer, adding more stock if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature.