Pasta with Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce - Cat Cora Style
There are still so many recipes to be made from this book - it has quickly become one of my favorites!
Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce -Cat Cora Kat George Style is definitely worth the effort!
This was a quick and easy, if not a teeny bit involved recipe. A few steps including roasting red peppers and cherry tomatoes plus a simmer with some chicken broth (vegetarians - easy peasy to keep this all veggie), chunk it up in the food processor (CAREFUL - it's hot!) and then finish with some seasoning and a touch of heavy cream.
I started with organic veggies from Families First Farm - the recipe calls for 1 pint of cherry tomatoes. In this case I chose Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes (they are like candy - a touch on the sweet side and packed with flavor.) I also got some red bell peppers and I had some garlic on hand.
From start to finish this took about an hour - so worth it!
Roast the peppers.This is so easy and the flavor it adds is phenomenal. Preheat your broiler and cut the peppers in half lengthwise (remove the cores and any of the white pith and seeds). I line my baking sheet with aluminum foil for an easy clean up (and I use the same foil for the tomatoes, which is the next step) but you certainly don't have to. Basically just plop those peppers, cut side down, on the sheet and broil them for about 5 to 7 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the skin is blistered and blackened over the entire surface. Don't worry - you aren't burning it...and the more blackened surface the easier the next step will be.
Get your tongs and put those suckers into a zip lock bag for about 20 minutes - zipped shut, of course.
Change the oven from broil to 425 degrees.
While the peppers are hanging out in the baggie get your tomatoes (which, of course you have washed and patted dry). Toss them in about 2 tsp of EVOO and place them on the cookie sheet. Cook them for about 7 - 9 minutes until they are brownish and caramalized around the edges.
Set aside to cool a little bit. Once the 20 minutes are up get those peppers out and peel the skins off (a paring knife helps but in most cases you can peel that skin off in sheets. Toss the skin and give the peppers a rough cut. (These and the tomatoes will keep in the fridge for about a week).
Now get your pasta ready - I used Fettucine. Get the pot filled with water to boil. :)
Garnish with parm and parsley - in this case I grabbed some fresh basil and oregano and did a quick chop instead of the parsley. I highly recommend!
So Chris did not like the rustic 'chunkiness' of this sauce but did like the flavor. I froze half for a rainy day and will definitely make this again. Will likely process it until smooth and pass through a single mesh strainer.
Seriously - buy this cookbook "Cooking from the Hip" (or, if you're lucky enough to have friends like Adam and Sara*, you might get it as a gift!)
* See August 15 entry.
Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce -
This was a quick and easy, if not a teeny bit involved recipe. A few steps including roasting red peppers and cherry tomatoes plus a simmer with some chicken broth (vegetarians - easy peasy to keep this all veggie), chunk it up in the food processor (CAREFUL - it's hot!) and then finish with some seasoning and a touch of heavy cream.
I started with organic veggies from Families First Farm - the recipe calls for 1 pint of cherry tomatoes. In this case I chose Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes (they are like candy - a touch on the sweet side and packed with flavor.) I also got some red bell peppers and I had some garlic on hand.
From start to finish this took about an hour - so worth it!
Roast the peppers.This is so easy and the flavor it adds is phenomenal. Preheat your broiler and cut the peppers in half lengthwise (remove the cores and any of the white pith and seeds). I line my baking sheet with aluminum foil for an easy clean up (and I use the same foil for the tomatoes, which is the next step) but you certainly don't have to. Basically just plop those peppers, cut side down, on the sheet and broil them for about 5 to 7 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the skin is blistered and blackened over the entire surface. Don't worry - you aren't burning it...and the more blackened surface the easier the next step will be.
Get your tongs and put those suckers into a zip lock bag for about 20 minutes - zipped shut, of course.
Change the oven from broil to 425 degrees.
While the peppers are hanging out in the baggie get your tomatoes (which, of course you have washed and patted dry). Toss them in about 2 tsp of EVOO and place them on the cookie sheet. Cook them for about 7 - 9 minutes until they are brownish and caramalized around the edges.
Set aside to cool a little bit. Once the 20 minutes are up get those peppers out and peel the skins off (a paring knife helps but in most cases you can peel that skin off in sheets. Toss the skin and give the peppers a rough cut. (These and the tomatoes will keep in the fridge for about a week).
Now get your pasta ready - I used Fettucine. Get the pot filled with water to boil. :)
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| Nothing but goodness here. |
| For the rest of the recipe: Heat up some olive oil in a large skillet (I used a shallow dutch oven...). Add 2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced, to the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes (stir frequently and don't walk away. Burnt garlic will ruin an entire dish). Once it is soft and fragrant add the tomatoes and roughly chopped peppers and cook for about a minute. Next: add 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the skillet and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Place the entire mixture in food processor or blender and whirl it a bit (be careful if it's hot - that lid will fly RIGHT off!) Process until smooth (I processed until just slightly chunky - with mixed reviews - but you'll see how pretty it looks below...). Finish cooking that pasta. Once the pasta is cooking, pour the mixture back into the skillet and set over low heat. The cream is optional but adds a nice smoothness to it...this is when you can stir in up to 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add up about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (maybe add less, maybe add more - just be sure to taste it as you go and remember that pasta will 'dull' down the flavor a little bit.) |
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| The result? A roasty-flavored, quick homemade sauce! |
Garnish with parm and parsley - in this case I grabbed some fresh basil and oregano and did a quick chop instead of the parsley. I highly recommend!
So Chris did not like the rustic 'chunkiness' of this sauce but did like the flavor. I froze half for a rainy day and will definitely make this again. Will likely process it until smooth and pass through a single mesh strainer.
Seriously - buy this cookbook "Cooking from the Hip" (or, if you're lucky enough to have friends like Adam and Sara*, you might get it as a gift!)
* See August 15 entry.
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