# Pasta and Peppers Recipe



## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Yesterday I whipped up this little recipe after grabbing a few pounds of some great tasting, mild and sweet peppers at the local farmers' market.

*Pasta and Peppers

*12-oz or so of good quality Italian spaghetti (Rustichella d'Abruzzo or similar)
3 Tbs late harvest California or Tuscan EVOO
2 - 3 medium-sized cloves garlic depending on your taste and quality of garlic
1 med-sized mild onion, red or yellow, sweet onion (Maui, Vidalia, Texas 1015) is OK
2-lbs mild peppers (Gypsy, Jimmy Nardello and similar - mix 'em up), seeded, deveined, peeled ok, chopped med
1 small hot pepper, red - Jalapeno, serrano, fresno, etc - seeded, deveined

Put oil in a saucepan and add rough-chopped garlic. Cook until just starting to brown on low heat. Remove garlic, add and cook onions for a few minutes. Add chopped peppers and cook (stew) on low heat or in a low oven for about two hours. Peppers should melt into the oil and create a sauce. Strain the sauce through a sieve or use a food mill. Keep warm

Cook spaghetti or whatever pasta you like (penne, taglietelle) in plenty of salted water, drain, add sauce and mix well. Don't over sauce.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Sounds good. Me, I'd probably add the lightly browned garlic back in at serving time. I like garlic.

mjb.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Sounds delicious and a great alternative to tomato sauce. Would this work with bell peppers as well? Do you put cheese on it?

I don't know much about peppers considering that all my local produce shops do not label their produce. I hate that!!!!! I'm also afraid of heat so I tend to avoid peppers although I love the mild varieties.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers would work. The peppers I mentioned are very mild - very mild - but have greater flasvor than bell peppers. Yiu can skip the hot pepper if you don't like heat - I like a little.

No cheese ...


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

I do something similar - its a good way to get away from the ever present tomatoes. But I do also use green capsicums (bell peppers) as well as the red and yellow (can't get orange here often). Any reason you don't like the green?

Also like to use maybe a teaspoon full of brown sugar (same as when I make a tomato sauce) - takes away some of the acidity, but that's probably just personal preference.

And I agree - no cheese. The combination just doesn't sound right.

A few black or green olives stoned and sliced could compliment this nicely, if you like them.

DC


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Hi - For the most part, I don't care for green peppers, and didn't care for their flavor or color in this sauce. As for sugar, well, it sure is a personal thing. The peppers I'm able to get seem sweet enough to me - sugar would be like guilding the lilly. I tried a version with olives - a couple of times with different olives - and didn't care for the result. I like olives in other sauces, but I was trying for something more subtle here.

Back to the sugar for a moment - I tried a teaspoon or so of sugar in my coffee this morning, and almost tossed the whole cup down the drain. I am so not used to sugar in my food or drink that it's almost an alien taste. Except for some specific pastries and bakery cookies (and a dark Milky Way candy bar a few times a year), sugar and I are complete strangers.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I made the dish this weekend and it turned out really well. I added a tbsp of tomato paste for richness and hubby loved it. It was spicy enough to do wonders for my cold.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

No [sniffle] sausage?

BDL


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Hey BDL, Have you ever heard of instead of using sugar or sweetner in a tomato sauce to add a drop of sodium bicarbonate? I tried it, and it works pretty well.Only thing it turns the color a slight bit darker.


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Sounds good! Im going to try it with wheat pasta.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

No Chef; never heard of that trick until now. 

BDL


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