MEET YOUR WINTER PESTO. IT'S RED.

Make green pesto in summer when you have basil. Make red pesto in winter when you have sun-dried tomatoes (yes, they’re back from The Wilderness).

I think we’re over being over sun-dried tomatoes by now, aren’t we?

It’s time to let them sneak back into our lives, to make prosciutto and mozzarella more interesting, to add sparkle to baked beans and pasta sauces, and to serve with charcuterie platters and cheeses.

But especially to whiz into a gorgeous pesto rosso, thickened with almonds and parmigiano and hit with a little garlic and chilli.

Pesto rosso is rich and tangy; vibrant and nutty. You can spike it up with chilli and paprika, or chop in parsley for freshness. And because logic dictates that preserved tomatoes are a better bet in the middle of winter than fresh basil, it’s the pesto you can make now, to get you through to summer.

It’s fantastic spread on focaccia or toasted bread rolls for lunch, or loosened with pasta water to make a charmingly different pasta sauce. Did I say it’s incredible served with fried eggs on toast for breakfast? I should have.

Looks like meaty, spicy, spreadable ’nduja, right? In fact, I’m calling it ’nduja for vegetarians (plus you can swap out the parmesan for nutritional yeast, and it’s vegan).

PESTO ROSSO

• 2 tbsp almonds

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 100 g sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

• good pinch of red chilli flakes

• 2 tbsp grated parmigiano

• sea salt and pepper to taste

• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

In a small food processor, pulse the almonds until coarsely ground.

Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, chilli, parmigiano, sea salt and pepper and whiz to a paste.

Add the olive oil and whiz until thick and spreadable.

Thin out with a squeeze of lemon juice or a tablespoon of water if too stiff.

Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Pesto rosso is wonderful stirred into a good soup just before serving; so tune in next week for minestrone alla Genovese.

Yes, another soup. What can I say, I didn’t invent winter.

Thanks for dropping by! And as always, thanks for your comments and opinionated thoughts. Special thanks to Terry for staring out the window and observing “it’s minestrone weather”, which got me thinking about pesto.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. It’s only fair, folks.