Thursday, November 7, 2013

...crunchy like a bell.

Yet again, I have a grip of peppers that need to be used. I really need to learn to not buy the baggies of them, but they are such a good value normally. Value is pretty much my favorite thing. Even above cooking, I think.

Anyway, it isn't really a value if I have to throw them out, now is it? So I figured it was time to roast those suckers up and put them in a mason jar so they could last a bit longer than their raw selves. Oven to 400, rub the peppers with a bit of olive oil, and cook till well charred, stirring occasionally.

Since I now have roasted peppers at my disposal I decided it was time for a recipe I have been waiting on for a while since I never actually buy roasted peppers.

Pasta with creamy sweet pepper and feta sauce
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of roasted peppers
1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup crumbled feta
1 pound pasta
Salt and Pepper for taste
Fresh Parsley for garnish

Method:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add roasted peppers and saute until heated through.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Place mixture in the bowl of a food processor with stock and all but 2 tablespoons of feta.
Process until combined and smooth about 30 seconds
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Toss pasta sauce, adding pasta water by the tablespoon
Sauce should cling nicely to the pasta
Salt and pepper to taste.
divide pasta into bowls
Garnish with parsley and remaining feta.


This dish turned out extremely well. The best part was how thick and creamy the sauce was without heavy cream to help it along. Also, I got to use my immersion blender (verses my food processor) which made me feel exceptionally "chef-like". I would say that because I chose the immersion blender over the food processor, I think my sauce was a bit chunkier. Another alteration to the recipe that I made was that, as I made only a half recipe of this, I didn't use stock. Mainly because I don't like to open stock unless I use a good amount of it. Instead I used the lightly salted pasta water. This is another reason my recipe was thicker than would be expected as I didn't use quite as much liquid.

Besides roasting the peppers, the recipe was easy and it didn't take too much brain power. Husband and I talked while I cooked about who is getting what for Christmas, our impending trip to Brazil, and the last few things that need to happen before his parents arrive for the weekend. I will definitely make this dish again sometime.

In completely other news, I have been typing up my Grandmother's recipes. As much as I have been enjoying the action pouring over the ancient, hand written texts, it has been begun to get a little ridiculous. Honestly, how many "Date Bar" or "Ham Loaf" recipes does one lady need? I have stopped typing up EACH recipe and have begun sifted through them a bit more, typing up the recipes I either don't have a version of yet or ones that look esp different and interesting. I still find this to me a very rewarding task and look forward to Pinteresting-it-up a bit by framing a couple of this recipes. Still hoping to find a couple written by Maman so I can frame them and give them to the brothers.

Until the next meal....


**Today's title comes from The Simpsons the episode entitled "Dial 'N' for Nerder". The full quote from the genius of Homer's mind goes like this: It tastes good like a pepper, but crunchy like a bell." **


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