Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

2 red bell peppers
3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
7 T olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped coarse
1/4 c packed fresh parsley leaves
1 T fresh thyme leaves
salt
1/4 c parmesan cheese
ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to the top position, about 2 1/2-31/2 inches from the heating element.  Turn the broiler on and heat for 5 minutes.  Prep the peppers by cutting off the tops and bottoms.  Pull the stem from the top.  Remove the core from the pepper.  Slit the pepper and lay flat in 1 long strip.  Slide a sharp knife along the inside to remove ribs.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil and arrange pepper tops, bottoms and strips.  Broil until the skins are charred and puffed but the flesh is still firm, 8-10 minutes.  Cover the peppers with foil and let stand to loosen the skins, about 5 minutes.  Remove the skin.

Meanwhile, toast the garlic in a medium skillet of medium heat, shaking pan occasionally until fragrant and the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes.  Let the garlic cool, then peel and chop coarsely.

Process the peppers, garlic, 6 T of the oil, shallot, parsley, thyme, and 1/2 t salt in a food processor until smooth.  Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

This can be stored in the fridge for four days or frozen for up to a month.  It goes great with whole grain pasta or as a sauce on whole wheat pizza.