The Dinner Files :: peppers

peppers

Sardine red pepper pasta

We’ve had some sardines in the house this spring. How long could they possibly keep themselves out of a dish of pasta?

Sardine red pepper pasta

The sweet silkiness of the peppers and the salty silkiness of the sardines do a lovely little dance with the tangle of noodles.

1 pound spaghetti

Salt

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes (optional)

1 jar (12-ounce) roasted red peppers

6 or so fillets of home-cured or skinless canned sardines

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt so it tastes like the sea. Boil the pasta until just tender to the bite. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and chile flakes and let them sizzle until the garlic turns golden. Add the roasted peppers and stir, using the spoon or spatula to break up the larger pieces of peppers into bite-size pieces.

Add sardines and stir, again, breaking them into pieces if you need to. Cook, reducing heat to maintain a simmer, until everything is heated through and the flavors blend, about 10 minutes.

Divide pasta between the serving bowls or plates and top with the “sauce.” Garnish with black pepper.

2010 06 22

fish
pasta
peppers

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Pepper, peppers everywhere

The heat continues. And what sounds better in the heat that grilling some peppers? First, we had a little snack of pimentons de padron–little green peppers from the Galicia region of Spain that are a most excellent tapas when simply cooked quickly over high heat (a cast iron skillet is best) and served hot with a generous sprinkle of salt. Happy Quail Farms (in East Palo Alto of all places) started growing them years ago, and now other farmers have joined in. About 1 in 12 is spicy, the rest have just the barest trace of heat in their green and grassy flavor. Ernie loves them. Although he got a super-hot one last night that required a small bowl of yogurt to soothe.

Then I made a quick dinner from things I found in the kitchen because it was hot and I was tired (who can sleep in this heat, I ask) and going to the stores around here on a Friday is just asking for trouble and vexation.

Then I threw some “roasting pimentos” (so said the sign at Ferry Plaza) on the grill, removed the skins, and chopped them (red sweet bell peppers would have worked just as well). One small onion thinly sliced was sautéed with a leftover chopped Italian sausage in some olive oil and salt until everything started to brown. (Had I had a fresh rather than leftover sausage I would have cooked it first and cooked everything in its delicious fat.) A few cloves of chopped garlic cooked until fragrant, like a minute or so. Then the pepper and 1/2 cup white wine cooked until the wine was gone. Into the pot went about 1/2 lb. cooked fusilli and 1/2 cup of its cooking liquid. Covered, this cooked until that liquid was absorbed. Ladled into bowls and topped with pecorino and chopped basil. A chopped chile or red pepper flakes would have been a nice addition.