Wajos Pesto Peperoncino & Aglio Olio. Two-thirds green chilies, just under a third olive oil, garlic, and salt – the spicy pesto for pasta, ciabatta, and anyone who really likes it hot.

Wajos Pesto Peperoncino & Aglio Olio is a chili pesto made from 65.2 percent green chilies, 30.4 percent olive oil, salt, 0.7 percent garlic, and a little sugar, 180 g in a jar, from Wajos in Dohr on the Moselle. Not a green basil pesto, not a chili sauce, not a garlic paste – but green chili in olive oil, spicy and aromatic. Free from cheese and nuts, vegan.

Pesto Peperoncino & Aglio Olio by Wajos solves the problem of the quickest pasta dish in the world: Spaghetti aglio e olio requires fresh garlic, fresh chili, and the right heat to keep the garlic light-colored – and that is exactly when one of those three things is missing. Here, the chili is already pickled in olive oil and salted. Drain the pasta, two spoonfuls from the jar, done. A popular order with us, with a clear message on the label: spicy. The jar is a shortcut for the evening when everyone is hungry and you lack the desire to cook.

Green chili first, then olive oil, the garlic is just a side note

The name promises Peperoncino and Aglio, and the order is honest: almost two-thirds of the jar consists of green chilies pickled in olive oil. It tastes green, fresh, and vegetal, like a ripe chili pepper with a bite, and it is significantly spicy – the heat hits immediately and lingers. The olive oil softens it and carries it onto the pasta; salt and a little sugar round it off. At 0.7 percent, the garlic is more of a reminder than an ingredient; those who want aglio e olio with plenty of garlic can add a chopped clove.

This pesto is different from a pesto in the Italian sense – basil, Parmesan, and pine nuts are missing. It is more like what you find on the table in Italy as *peperoncini sott'olio* – oily, spicy. With 3 grams of salt per 100 grams, it is well-salted, and with 31 grams of fat from the olive oil, it is rich. For those expecting a mild, creamy pesto to spoon over pasta, this Peperoncino pesto is not suitable – in that case, the Basil Pesto with Pine Nuts from Wajos is the right choice.

On spaghetti, on ciabatta, in the pan – one teaspoon is a serving

The basic form is spaghetti aglio e olio: cook 100 grams of pasta per person, drain, and save a splash of pasta water. One heaping teaspoon of pesto per person into a hot pan, add pasta, toss, add pasta water for binding, top with parsley and Parmesan. Those who prefer it milder use less pesto and more olive oil; those who like it spicier know what they are doing. For children, the portion should be served separately – their pasta plain, the parents' with pesto.

On ciabatta or baguette, it makes the fastest bruschetta: toast the bread, spread thinly with the pesto, top with diced tomatoes and mozzarella. On pizza, use a few drops instead of chili oil after baking; add a teaspoon to tomato sauce or *sugo* for heat, or half a teaspoon in scrambled or fried eggs. For grilled meat, halloumi, or shrimp, it provides the seasoning that a chili dip would otherwise provide. Mixed with cream cheese or yogurt, it becomes a dip that halves the spiciness. A teaspoon in potato salad or a vinaigrette for bean salad provides the heat that would otherwise come from chili flakes – only rounder, because the oil carries it.

What goes wrong: using the pesto as a main ingredient, in the amount of a basil pesto. Two tablespoons per serving is too much for most people. And it does not handle long cooking well – chili becomes bitter at high heat, and the olive oil loses its flavor. Always add at the very end or into the pan once the heat is turned off.

Our tip: Stir a teaspoon of Peperoncino pesto into a jar of Sugo all' Arrabbiata – the sugo has only 0.1 percent chili, and only in this way does it become the Arrabbiata that deserves the name.

A chili pesto from a company that has known vinegar and oil for decades

Wajos is a specialty manufacturer in Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle, originating from a winemaking family in Ediger-Eller that has been making wine for 15 generations. Walter Josef Oster, whose initials form the name, founded the liqueur factory in the 1980s, from which his son Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg developed the Wajos brand starting in the 2000s – today with over 80 employees in Dohr, their own stores, and around 900 items, most of which are created there and tested in their own laboratory.

Oil and vinegar are the heart of this assortment: infused oils based on olive oil, vinegar creams, plus pesto and sugo in a jar. The Peperoncino pesto fits into this line – few ingredients, one of them dominant, and the olive oil as a carrier, just as it carries the aroma in the infused oils. The family business calls this "working in a controlled, smaller way."

The jar for chili eaters, for pasta evenings, and as a gift with a warning

For us, this Peperoncino pesto is the jar for people who ask for chili oil in restaurants and search for it in vain at home. It sits alongside the Tomato Pesto with Almonds for mild evenings and the Lemon Pesto with Walnut for fish; you can find all pestos on our Wajos page. As a gift, it suits anyone who takes spiciness as a compliment – with the note that a teaspoon is enough.

At one teaspoon per serving, 180 grams is a supply for weeks. Store unopened in a cool, dark place; once opened, the jar belongs in the refrigerator, and the chili should always remain covered with oil. The pesto is not suitable for those who tolerate heat poorly, or for children – here, instead of a mild dosage, only a tiny amount should be used.

*Green chili and olive oil, a hint of garlic, that’s all – the spicy pesto from the Moselle for spaghetti that is ready in five minutes.*