When one thinks of pesto, a vibrant green pesto Genovese usually comes to mind fragrant with basil, but this Sicilian Red Pesto yields the same freshness and versatility while showcasing olive oil from its multi-generation producer, sun-dried tomatoes and buttery cashews as the star ingredients. The sauce is tomato forward, with a rich and robust taste that encompasses the sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes and deep umami of well-browned tomato paste, rounded out with nutty notes from the cashews and salt from the Parmesan. While many jarred red pestos taste like slightly-tweaked marinara, Olio Roi’s recipe is considerably more complex, just as delicious straight from the jar as it would be incorporated into your favorite dish.
Use as you would green pesto: Toss with your favorite pasta or swirl into a skillet sauce with crushed tomatoes, garlic and olive oil the character of a long simmer and the ease of an off-the-cuff meal. Dollop atop soups, spoon into to an oil and vinegar mixture for a fresh and punchy salad dressing, or substitute in place of tomato sauce in our Pasta with Browned Butter Yogurt and herbs for an Italian take on this Turkish-influenced dish.
But Sicilians have a rich tomato iteration that dates back to ancient times, when Genoese ships stopped at the port of Trapani, bringing with them agliata—a sauce based on garlic and walnuts. Trapani sailors later incorporated the sweet sun-dried tomatoes native to their land to create the red pesto of today.
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Use as you would green pesto: Toss with your favorite pasta or swirl into a skillet sauce. Dollop atop soups or spoon into to an oil and vinegar mixture for a fresh and punchy salad dressing.
Refrigerate after opening for optimum freshness.
Producer Olio Roi is fourth-generation company run by the Boeri family, which has been crafting olive oil since 1900 in Sanremo in Italy’s Argentina Valley and sources only the highest-quality olive oil that is selected by professional tasters.
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