Wash the red peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds; place the peppers inside down onto a greased baking sheet. Brush the outsides of the peppers with a light coating of olive oil. Move an oven rack to the top of your oven and broil the peppers for 10 to 15 minutes or until black and blistering. (*Stay by your oven and watch the whole time to make sure the oil doesn’t splatter the electric coil and cause a fire. Cracking the oven door helps prevent fires while broiling as well.)

Once the peppers are black and blistered, put them in a zip-top bag (or paper bag if you have one) and seal it shut. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the skin to loosen, then peel off the skin, throw it away, and roughly slice the peppers.

In a large saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, and sliced peppers until the onion is translucent. Roughly chop the basil and add it to the pan of vegetables. Then place the mixture in a blender (I used my Blendtec for this) and blend until smooth. (Alternately use an immersion blender if you have one and blend up the vegetables in the saucepan.) Return the pureed mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.

Mix the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of the cold half & half. Pour the remaining half and half in the pan with the pureed peppers, then wait for it to come to a boil to pour in the cornstarch mixture. Whisk until mixture thickens, then add the parmesan and butter until melted, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over cooked cheese ravioli with a sprinkle of extra shredded parmesan.