Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

One of my New Years goals is to try to make more veggies, and to introduce my family to veggies that I don't normally cook. This week I bought a bag of red peppers. Here is one of the recipes I came up with! P.S. I recently read an article on how good red peppers are for your heart!



Ingredients

* 2 large red bell peppers
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/4 cup fresh basil
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
* 4 tablespoons butter
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 can crushed tomatoes


Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes.
2. Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.
3. In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil,crushed tomotoes, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.
4. Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.