Pasta with a Creamy Yellow Bell Pepper & Tomato Sauce (Penne Saporite "Il Frantoio")

From the blog For Love of the Table

1/3 c. olive oil, plus more for roasting the peppers

1 large yellow or orange bell pepper (about 8 to 9 oz.)

1 small red onion (about 6 oz.), finely diced

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

A generous pinch hot pepper flakes (to taste)

1 lb. vine ripened or plum tomatoes

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1 lb. penne rigate or fusilli

12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1/3 c. (1 oz.) finely grated pecorino, plus more for passing at the table

Preheat the broiler. Rub the pepper with a bit of olive oil, place on a small baking sheet or the broiler pan and broil until the skins have blackened and begun to split—2 to 4 minutes on each side. Cool. Peel and seed the pepper over a sieve set over a small bowl to catch the flavorful juices. Cut into an even dice and add to the juices. Set aside.

While the pepper roasts, heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over moderately low heat. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt and sweat until very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook briefly until the garlic is fragrant.

While the onion cooks, prepare the tomatoes. Core the tomatoes. If using plum tomatoes, halve them lengthwise. If using vine ripes, halve them horizontally (through their equator). Scoop out the seeds into a sieve set over a small bowl (to conserve the juices). Discard the seeds. Using a large-holed grater set on a plate or pie pan, grate the tomatoes by holding the cut side of the tomatoes against the grater and grating until just the skin remains in your palm. Add the grated tomato pulp to the tomato juices.

When the onions and garlic are ready, add the tomato pulp—along with a few good pinches of salt—and simmer gently until the sauce has thickened slightly (about 10 to 15 minutes). Add the peppers, cover and simmer gently to blend the flavors and finish softening the peppers—about 5 to 10 minutes more—and adding a splash of water if the sauce seems dry or tight. Transfer the contents of the pan to the blender cup (either a traditional blender or an immersion blender) and purée until smooth, adding water in small increments if the sauce is too thick to move well in the blender (see note). Scrape the sauce back into the sauté pan and taste for salt & pepper. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat—adding enough pasta water to create a fluid sauce that coats and clings to the noodles. Add the basil and the cheese and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if needed. Serve immediately, passing cheese separately.

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: I prefer to wait to purée the sauce until I'm cooking the pasta so I can use pasta water to thin the sauce in the blender (if necessary).

(Recipe adapted from Four Seasons Pasta—A Year of Inspired Recipes in the Italian Tradition, by Janet Fletcher)

http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2016/08/pasta-with-creamy-yellow-bell-pepper.html

As published on forloveofthetable.com