The last CSA share had a huge bag of peppers that I'm finally at the end of, & now, I'm definitely missing the weekly bag of fresh vegetables. I've realized that I have to stop at the grocery store more often these days. But here's what we made with those last peppers. The original recipe calls for only red bell peppers, but I had some small red peppers, a green pepper, some Hungarian wax peppers (which can be a little on the hot side), and a poblano pepper. Using all of those, the dish had a spicier taste than when I've made it before. Either way, it's one of David's favorite meals.
Roasted Pepper Rigatoni
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta.
1/2 lb rigatoni (I'm sure you could substitute another short hollow pasta, but rigatoni is best)
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
peppers (enough to get about 2 cups of peppers after slicing)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat whole peppers with olive oil, & place on baking sheet. When oven is heated, roast peppers until skin is slightly blackened. Cool, remove seeds, & slice long-wise.
2. Spread almonds on baking sheet, & toast in oven until fragrant & golden brown, approximately 5-10 minutes. (Keep your eye on these; they can burn fast when you're not watching.)
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, & cook pasta until tender, approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain, & return to pot.
4. While cooking pasta, place toasted almonds in food processor, & pulse until they are finally chopped with the texture of bread crumbs.
5. Add 3/4 cup olive oil to cooked pasta along with the bread crumbs, toasted almonds, & roasted, sliced peppers. Toss to combine.
Add fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 4.
