Pasta Pepperonata = Happy Days

What kind of food makes you happy?  All food makes me happy, but Italian sausage with peppers and onions is one of my favorite meals.  Throw in some pasta or potatoes on the side and I'm definitely in the happy camp.  This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs it's all about Happy Days, the food that makes us happy.  I decided to go along with some of my favorites for this meal.  I cooked up a 3lb ring of Italian sausage and decided to serve Jamie's Pasta Pepperonata on the side.  HAPPY DAYS!

 Pasta Pepperonata

Adapted from JamieOliver.Com

Serves 4-6

  This is a great pasta dish using rigatoni, which is quite robust. It makes a really nice lunchtime snack. The mascarpone or crème fraîche is a lovely addition, but you can leave it out if you prefer. It will give you a wonderful mottled sauce, but try it without first and see how you go.

  

  2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 2 yellow peppers, deseeded and sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
• 2 handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped, stalks reserved
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 2 handfuls of grated 

mascarpone or creme fraiche, if desired

 

Put all the peppers in a large frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place a lid on, and cook slowly for 15 minutes until softened. Don't rush this too much, as cooking the peppers slowly like this really helps to bring out the flavour. Add the onion and cook for a further 20 minutes. Then add the garlic and parsley stalks and toss around, keeping everything moving in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes most. Have a little taste, and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Add the vinegar - it will sizzle away, so give everything a good toss. Then add one handful of the grated Parmesan and the mascarpone or crème fraîche if you are using it and turn the heat down to minimum while you cook the pasta.

Meanwhile put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. When cooked, drain in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water. Put the peppers, pasta and parsley leaves into a large warmed bowl. Give them a good toss together, then add a little of the pasta cooking water and a few good lugs of extra virgin olive oil to coat the pasta nicely. Serve straight away sprinkled with the rest of the Parmesan.

 

Notes/Results:  Delicious!  This pasta paired beautifully with a ring of Italian sausage.  The whole meal was such a treat. One thing I want to share is that I took the liberty of adding more mascarpone cheese than called for.  Jamie's recipe calls for one or two tablespoons of mascarpone and it is optional.  Cheese lover that I am, I almost doubled the mascarpone.  While I love cheese and I love mascarpone, this was not the time or place to up the cheese.  A tablespoon or so of mascarpone would be great, but the amount I added was just too much cheese and masked the flavor of the peppers and onions.  It was still delicious, and it was definitely creamy, but I would've liked to taste the peppers and onions a little more.

I 

Currently cooking with Chef Jamie Oliver

Don't forget to tune in to Jamie's Food Revolution airing Tuesday, April 12th at 8/7 central.