Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce
In a review on Cari Cooks, they shared this pasta recipes from his newest book, Best of Chef at Home by Chef Michael Smith:
“There are few things as powerful and rewarding as cooking a simple meal and then sharing it with your family and friends.”
Handy tip from the author: Tomatoes aren’t the only sweet red fruit that make great pasta sauce. Red bell peppers are excellent too, especially paired with the faint licorice flavour of fennel seeds. You may use any of your favourite pastas for this dish. As you reheat the sauce, add in chopped fresh oregano or thyme.
Ingredients:
- 4 red bell peppers, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 large onions, roughly chopped
- 1 whole head of garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup (60 mL) of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of fennel seeds
- a sprinkle or two of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- one 1 lb (454 g) of pasta (he used penne for this recipe)
- a few handfuls of baby spinach (but Chard may also work well)
Directions:
- Toss the peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, fennel seed and salt and pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly coated. Pour into a 9- × 13-inch (3.5 L) baking pan. Roast at 350F until peppers are softened and caramelized, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables into a medium saucepan and purée with an immersion blender, adding a splash of water to help it along. Alternatively, put into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta in lots of boiling salted water. Just prior to serving, reheat the sauce in a large pot.
- Toss the hot pasta with the reheated red pepper sauce and the baby spinach and serve immediately (I would have this as a side dish to BBQ chicken or pork).
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