Penne with Bell Peppers Roman Style

I had two lovely yellow bell peppers in my fridge. After four days of racking my brains to come up with a mind blowing recipe, I chickened out. I could not see them go to waste for my lack of creative genius. Thanks to the gazillion cook books I own, (yes, I am cookbook cuckoo!) finding a recipe was a breeze. I would like you to believe that I put in considerable amount of effort picking and choosing just the right recipe, but the truth is I like a good gamble. So I closed my eyes and put my finger on the peppers list in the index! I give you here – Pasta with Peppers Roman Style. The Roman bit is because I had a crush on Julius Caesar. Ok, am playing with you now! Traditionally, tiny black wrinkled olives grown in the Lazio region of Italy are used in this roman dish. But I used Spanish olives. Oops! Don’t declare a war till you’ve tried it. iBuen Apetito!

Penne with Peppers Roman Style

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1/3 cup Olive oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 cup Black Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

400gms canned chopped Tomatoes, drained/ 500gms Tomatoes, blanched and chopped

2 Yellow/ Red Peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

350gms dried Penne/ Fettucine

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until softened. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers and olives. Saute for 5 mins. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer over very low heat for 25 mins. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta return to a boil and cook according to instructions on the packet. Penne must be tender but with a bite. Drain ad transfer to a serving dish.

Spoon the sauce onto the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle generously with the parmesan and serve immediately, with extra grated parmesan.

Note: Green bell peppers are not recommended in this recipe as they are a little too sharp and do not provide enough contrast with the saltiness of the olives.

Grilled Red Pepper Pate Crostini

Better late than never I say.. So here’s my grilled pepper pate recipe which I promised to share last month. Pâtè is a fine textured spread or paste. The term also applies to mixtures that have been baked or sautéed, then pureed to a creamy consistency. Pâtè is generally served at room temperature either spread on bread or crackers as finger food. Here we use the pate liberally on French bread and grill with cheese to produce a colorful and bursting with flavor starter. This pate will keep in an airtight container for upto three weeks. So Bon Appétit!

Grilled Red Pepper Pate Crostini

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Makes 1 cup

What you need:

4 large Red Peppers

3 cloves Garlic, unpeeled

2 Tbsps Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce

150gm Butter (melted)

Pinch of Sugar

2 tsps finely chopped Parsley

1 loaf French bread

100 gms Cheddar cheese

Handful of Basil leaves to garnish

What to do:

Preheat oven to hot 240ºC. Line an oven tray with foil. Cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds and membrane. Cut in half again. Arrange pepper pieces on oven tray with the garlic cloves. Bake for 20 mins. Remove from oven; cover peppers with damp tea towel until cool. Peel skins from pepper pieces and garlic cloves and discard skin.

Place peppers, garlic, vinegar and chilli sauce in a food processor and process until smooth. With motor running pour in melted butter in a thin steady stream. Process until the mixture is thick and creamy. Transfer mixture to a small pan. Stir over low heat for 15 mins. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and parsley.

Cut the French loaf into thin slices and grill in a toaster (crostini). Spread the pate, garnish with basil and cheese and grill until cheese melts. Serve!

Char Grilled Red Peppers with Balsamic Dressing

Summer times call for grilling. While most people can’t think of anything other than meat to toss onto a grill, I say give some veggies a chance - especially red peppers. Don’t worry if you don’t have an outdoor grill, I make mine on an indoor one (with the window open!) and it tastes just as fine. Its funny how the heat makes peppers change their nature – they go from pungent to sweet! Just peppers for dinner might not sound satisfying right now, but I assure you – serve it with some mashed potato, feta and green salad and you have the most refreshing summer meal!

Char Grilled Red Peppers with Balsamic Dressing

Prep time: 20 mins
Marinating time: 1 hr
Serves: 4

What you need:
6 Red Peppers
11/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
200 gms Feta
Green Salad

What to do:
Cut each pepper into quarters; remove seeds and stems. Place skin side up under a preheated grill. Cook until skin blisters and turns black (about 15 mins). Cover peppers with a clean damp tea-towel and allow to stand for 5 mins. Peel away skin. Cut pepper pieces into 2 cm strips. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar, whisk. Place pepper strips in a small bowl, pour oil mixture over and marinate for an hour in the refrigerator. Serve with green salad and cubed feta cheese.

P.S. Roasting or grilling peppers and peeling off the skin removes bitterness and intensifies the sweet flavor. You can roast a large amount at once and preserve in oil. There’s a fantastic pepper pate recipe I will share soon for the leftover grilled peppers.

Pasta With Peppers in a Cheese Sauce

One of the staple ingredients that I have in my kitchen is good quality pasta. You can toss in some veggies and sauce and voila you have something edible and yummy in less than 15 minutes. That definitely qualifies as a sure fire idea for a work day dinner. It also helps that the co-resident is a big fan of Cheese Sauce, so there will be no negotiating the day’s dinner plan when this recipe is announced. The main veggie in this recipe is Peppers or Capsicums, but you can substitute mushrooms, broccoli, corn, spinach etc etc etc. Be creative! Peppers can be found in a variety of colours - Red, Yellow, Green and Orange. Red peppers tend to be the sweetest when cooked, while the green ones are the spicy ones. So use them liberally to spice up your dish – taste and looks wise both! Peppers are also an excellent source of antioxidants so it probably will spice up your looks as well :)

 

Pasta with Peppers in a Cheese Sauce

Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves 4

What you need:

200 gms Pasta
2-3 Peppers (different colours)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic (minced) / 1 tsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
1 ½ cup Milk
½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mixed Herbs to garnish

What to do:

Wash and dice the peppers. Prepare pasta according to instructions on the packet. While the pasta is boiling, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for a minute. Toss in the peppers and sauté for a further 5 mins. Season with salt. Keep aside. In a saucepan melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasoning. Gradually add half the milk, stirring until well mixed. Bring back to the stove. Add the remaining milk and whisk until the sauce is smooth, thick and glossy. Cook for 5 mins. Add cheese and blend until smooth. Toss in the cooked pasta and peppers. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with herbs. Yummy!