SUN-DRIED TOMATO QUASI-PESTO PASTA WITH SHRIMP
This recipe developed late one night when searching for something to eat. I took whatever I could find that sort of went together and threw it in the food processor. Result: this dish.
Ingredients
2-4 tomatoes, diced (sometimes I use the little grape or cherry tomatoes)
up to a full bottle of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (can use herbed bottle)
2-6 cloves garlic, minced
healthy handful of pine nuts (maybe a 1/2 cup)
olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
up to 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
up to 1 lb pasta, preferably thin spaghetti or vermicelli
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (or asiago or romano as your budget allows)

Cook pasta per instructions on package, tossing with a little olive oil once it's been drained.
Throw all ingredients except cheese, shrimp, pasta, and olive oil into the food processor and blend, slowly adding olive oil (maybe 1/3-2/3 cup) to make a smooth consistency a la traditional pesto. Once the mixture is liquidy but not drenched, remove it to a saute pan over medium heat, stirring for a few minutes to cook it for a bit before you add the shrimp. Stir regularly to keep the pesto mixture from burning, cooking until the shrimp are done. The sauce will become slightly oilier while cooking, which is fine.
To get the right mix of sauce and pasta, I recommend mixing the sauce with just a portion of the cooked pasta (maybe half a pound). Depending on how much pesto you made, you might find that you ultimately use only a portion of your pasta. Add more pasta as you like to get a good mixture. Serve with healthy doses of the fresh grated cheese.

NOTE: When dumping in the sun-dried tomatoes, include the oil that's also in the bottle. If you use S-D tomatoes that are not already in oil, make sure to include some oil when you dump the S-D tomatoes in the food processor. And if you don't use the herbed S-D tomatoes, add your own favorite mixture of dried herbs, such as oregano, parsley, marjoram, etc.