Linguini with Roasted Pepper Sauce and Pine Nuts

 

This kind of pasta sauce is one of my favorites, because it requires no cooking on top of the stove.  I roast the peppers sometime during the day and when it's time to boil the pasta for dinner, I just whirl all the sauce ingredients up together in the Cuisinart.  It just couldn't be faster.  The heat from the pasta and a little of the hot pasta water combine to help make a no-cook sauce.  Consider this sauce a sort of "master recipe" for your imagination.  You can make all kinds of great no-cook sauces in your Cuisinart.

 

Readers of this blog know that I really love to roast peppers and I think that everyone should know how to do it.  It's an incredibly versatile thing to do because you can make so many things from roasted peppers, from an appetizer of roasted peppers and mozarella to a great peperonata.  Remember to line your baking sheet with foil, so there is no clean up.  

 

Linguini with Roasted Pepper Sauce and Pine Nuts

for a printer friendly recipe, click here

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 red and yellow bell peppers

• about 2-3 ounces of parmigiano reggiano cheese, cut into chunks

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• large pinch of both sea salt and course pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon red hot chili pepper

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• handful of flat leaf parsley or fresh basil

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 12 ounces linguini 

Instructions:

Preheat broiler.  Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil.  Place peppers on baking sheet and broil, turning as they blacken, until all sides are charred.  Place hot peppers in a paper sack and let steam for 10 minutes.  

Remove peppers and let cool until they are cool enough to handle.  Pick off blackened skin until almost all skin is removed.  It should easily slip off.   Slice off tops, cut peppers in half and carefully remove seeds.  Set peppers aside until you are ready to make the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Place cheese chunks in a food processor and grind.  Place the peppers, garlic, seasonings, olive oil and parsley in the food processor and process until just slightly chunky. Place sauce in a large serving bowl.

Boil pasta until al dente (slightly less than whatever the box says) and remove pasta with tongs to serving bowl, retaining the pasta water.  Add about 1/8 cup of the hot pasta water to the sauce and pasta and toss well, coating all the linguini.  If still too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of hot pasta water.

Toss with pine nuts and serve with additional cheese, if you like.

As a variation on this recipe, and Brian's favorite, you can substitute a jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil for the roasted peppers (leave out the additional olive oil in the recipe).  Make the sauce exactly the same way - it has a very intense flavor.  You can also combine the two - add some sundried tomatoes to the recipe above and you have another sauce. 

Comments

[Gaby]

this looks so fabulous and delicious and amazing and I want it for breakfast right now :)

[Christina]

That looks amazing!

[Samantha]

I make the same type of sauce with a hint of gorgonzola....wonderful!

[Sharona May]

Sounds wonderful! I love new ideas for pasta since we are 100% Italian!

Thanks

[Hungry George]

OH MY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paula - bell'alimento]

Elaine, this is beautiful! Love the pictures, beautiful composition. I have some pine nuts left over & so this is going on my list : ) Grazie!

[Rachel]

Gorgeous, and sounds delicious! I definitely will make this dish. Like the sundried tomato version as well. Love your blog!

[Claudia]

I make this all the time - I love its simplicity and that I can make it ahead - go to work and my family can boil the spaghetti and throw the topping on - don't use the hot oil - so will try that, The pasta looks so tempting. Must head to my fridge now.

[Nancy]

I'm a newbie here and I tried this recipe tonight! Very good and I'm quite proud of myself. Looking forward to trying some other things, too. Thanks, Elaine!!

[Linda Lou]

Just found your blog, love the recipe and one of my favorite ingredients is pine nuts!! I am half Sicilian on my Mom's side and my dad's family was from Bari....I love cooking, and of course, Italians is my specialty---i shall return!

[marie]

Elaine, I'm with you on roasting red peppers, I just love the flavor. This is a simple, and an oh so flavorful dinner which you're making me crave! I also have been really enjoying a Romesco sauce lately, something similar, I keep it in my frig and slather it on fish, chicken and vegies.

[Cooking with Michele]

I'm making this for dinner, sort of, but adding roasted shrimp to it. FYI, I always cut my peppers into flat pieces first and roast them skin side down on the grill - easier to not have to clean the seeds out when they are warm and the flat pieces store well in freezer bags over the winter. Ciao!

[Paul D]

Top Quality - P.S. I love your sons name - Nathan. That was my grandfather's name. I'm naming my son Nathan.

[zaee]

is that 4 red and 4 yellow? or 4 total?

[[Elaine]]

From The Italian Dish:

zaee: That is 4 peppers, total. You can use all red, all yellow or red and yellow. Doesn't really matter!

[nath]

This is SO awesome that my boyfriend went crazy and ate 3 plates….lol!!
I'm making it again tonight for my mother in law!!! :)
Thanks for this awesome recipe!

[Dallas Dinnocente]

I am preparing the ingredients at this moment! Can't wait to sit down to eat..Thank you for this beautiful ..simple recipe!