Day 14. Pesto Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce.

Yes, when I was eating these leftovers for lunch the following day, I did lick the plate. mmmm.  The tomatoes develop a lot of flavor in the cooking - from the pesto and garlic I suppose - but they were bursting with flavor.

This was the recipe, though, that made Swen think about having a melt-down, a-la-Julie-and-Julia.  When he saw the mountains of dishes, following so closely on the heels of  the mountain of dishes from the previous Rosie dish, the Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches, he considered dropping to the floor.  But some of that was just hunger talking, and I heard no more meltdown talk after we finished this meal.

If you wear out easily, I recommend making the Pesto earlier.

Pesto Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce, p52, Rosie O'Daley.

Light vegetable-oil cooking spray (I used olive oil: whenever the recipe says 'spray' just 'pour')

1 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped green bell pepper
1/4 C grated carrot
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme
1/2 C red wine
4 1/2 C peeled, seeded, and chopped (thank you, Cuisenart)plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds total)
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
8 ounces dried linguine
7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 C chopped mushrooms
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T Rosie's pesto (you are starting to see where all the dishes came from)
1 t freshly grated Parmesan (reality is more like 1 C of fresh Parmesan)
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Rosie's Pesto:
1/2 C fresh basil leaves
2-5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor.  Turn the machine on and drizzle in the lemon juice.  Continue to puree until a smooth past is formed. 
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Continuing on with the Pasta Dish......
  Preheat a heavy saute pan for about 1 minute over medium heat. Spray (aka 'pour' olive oil) it 3 times with the vegetable oil.  Toss in the onion, green pepper, and carrot and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the oregano, thyme, and wine.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the wine has been absorbed.  Stir in the tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, and the bouillon cube.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Once the water is boiling, add the linguine.  Cook the pasta 8 to 12 minutes, to desired tenderness.
  To the simmering vegetable mixture, add the garlic, mushrooms, vinegar, tomato paste, and salt and black pepper.  Raise the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the Rosie's Pesto.
  When the linguine is done, drain and transfer it to a warm serving bowl.  Add the sauce and toss.  Garnish with the Parmesan cheese.