Penne with Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

As most of you in the East Coast know, we have had a particularly challenging week with a massive snow storm and extreme low temperatures. I particularly have found it really painful to go out in this weather. Just thinking about the socks - boots - jeans - jacket routine gives me a headache. So imagine my irritation when I found myself gaping into an abysmally empty refrigerator this weekend.

I decided to take on the challenge and make a meal with whatever could find AND make it interesting. Let's just say - yeah, I did good :-)

First I broiled some orange peppers and let it rest in a ziploc bag for about 30 minutes. While broiling, the pepper will spit and ooze and make some unholy sounds. Fret not, it is supposed to do that! Once you remove the peppers from the ziploc, you should just be able to peel off the charred bits with your fingers. Try and get it as clean as possible. Slightly rinse with water if needed.

Slice the broiled and peeled peppers, add garlic, pesto/ basil leaves, salt and blend with lots of extra virgin olive oil. This makes the sauce for your pasta.

I wanted to add some veggies to my meal so I roasted some cherry tomatoes in the oven for about 40 minutes with olive oil

Cook the pasta as directed on the box. Combine with the roasted bell pepper sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, fried onions and roasted pecans. Top with Feta cheese and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box penne or rigatoni pasta - cooked to al dente as directed on the box
1.5 or 2 red or orange bell peppers - halved and cored
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion - thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp pesto or 3-4 basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tbsp crumbled feta
salt to taste

This recipe serves 2

1. Broil the peppers as shown in the images above. Make sure all of the outer skin is charred and blackened completely. Place these charred peppers in a ziploc bag and let it rest for about 30 minutes
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and let it roast in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350F
3. Slightly toast the pecans in a skillet and set aside.
4. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel off the charred skin with your fingers. Make sure you remove all the blackened bits. Rinse under water if needed. Slice into large chunks. 
5. Place the sliced peppers in a food processor with 1 tsp basil pesto, 3 cloves of garlic, salt and evoo. Blend until smooth
6. Heat some oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions until translucent, for about 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, bell pepper sauce, roasted tomatoes and pecans. Mix until all of these are well combined. Top it up with feta cheese and enjoy!

Garlic Butter Spaghettini with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

I know I know I have been going on about "eating right" and "low carb food" and "*other-nice-healthy-food-words*" but it isn't the worst thing to splurge once in a while.. is it? It is? Well, sue me, I did anyway!

Seriously though, when I do splurge, I try and make it worth my while by cooking something I really enjoy. This doesn't necessarily mean a decadent, gonna-carry-this-guilt-around-for-weeks kind of meal. It almost always more of a relatively light but carby meal with some fresh ingredients that leave me feeling good. Like Dosa with Onion+Tomato Chutney. Or Jeera Rice with some spicy Moong Dal +Applam. Heaven indeed. What can I say, I got a bad case of rice-lovin'!

A couple of weeks back again, I found myself craving something starchy and home-made. One of those days where it just HAD to be had! With no dosa batter and no rice whatsoever at my disposal (curse me for purging my house of carbs), I had to rummage through my pantry to piece together a meal from my secret stash. Boy, am I glad I did....

Garlic Butter Spaghettini with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients
3/4th of a box of spaghettini
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 pods of garlic, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, Toasted in the oven for 10 minutes at 325F and roughly chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) + more for drizzling
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

This recipe serves 2

1. Prepare the pasta al dente as instructed on the box. Be sure to salt the boiling water generously before adding in the pasta.
2. Toss the halved cherry tomatoes in a bowl with 1 pod of chopped garlic and 2 tbsp EVOO. Mix well, spread out on a baking sheet, drizzle with the EVOO and roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 325F.
3. Melt the butter in a pan and throw in the 3 remaining pods of chopped garlic. Keep the heat relatively low so as to not burn the garlic. Saute until soft and fragrant. Add in the chopped basil and saute till it wilts. Finally add the toasted nuts, roasted cherry tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix everything well while still keeping the heat relatively low.
4. Finally, fold in the cooked spaghettini with tongs until all the the ingredients mix well and the pasta comes together.

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Spaghettini with Tomato Basil Sauce

Anyone who knows me knows I am an anglophile and that I had a total dream-come-true moment when I went to England last year. I just lost myself in the magic of London. I indulged in one of my all time obsessions by going all by myself to Hampton Court Palace and immersing myself in the history of King Henry the VIIIth. Oh man I get giddy thinking about it. Look at that beauty...!

Now that England has been crossed off my vacay locations, the thought of Italy is slowly causing me to have Liz Lemon-esque *I want to go to there* moments. And who doesn't LOVE Italian food..! Soon after our wedding, my then-Italian-food-novice husband took to it like no other cuisine and I have been in culinary heaven since.

Ever since the cooking bug bit me, I have been trying to recreate easy Italian dishes that we eat in restaurants. My absolute favorite pasta dish at the moment is California Pizza Kitchen's Tomato Basil Spaghettini. It is an amazing dish - its lovely basil flavour and the creamy goat cheese is beauty on a plate.

Good food makes me happy.

Sure enough I was soon tempted to try making it at home with my own little twists and I'm happy to say it came out quite well! Not to mention, SO easy!! Now i must confess that this doesn't taste exactly like the CPK version because I have made this a little spicier than the original, among other things.

Ingredients:

1 of a box of Spaghettini

5 Tomatoes on the vine (or just any juicy large tomato)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

5-6 pods of Garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp crumbled Goat cheese

Salt and Pepper as needed

Olive Oil as needed

This recipe serves 2

1. Prepare the pasta al dente as instructed on the box. Be sure to salt the boiling water generously.
2. Blanch the 5 tomatoes. Click here for instructions on blanching. Chop up the blanched tomatoes into small cubes and mash them until it looks like a bowl of chunky tomato juice. Slice the garlic pods into thin slivers. Give the basil a rough chop as well.
3. Heat some olive oil in a big pan and lightly fry the garlic. Keep an eye on it as garlic burns very easily. Pour in the chunky mashed up tomatoes, half of the chopped basil, salt, fresh ground pepper and bring to a slight simmer. Keep stirring this occasionally and continue to simmer until the tomato cooks and loses its raw flavour. This could take about 10 minutes and really allows the basil flavour to seep into the sauce. 
4. Add in the oregano, red pepper flakes and  Parmesan cheese. Simmer for another 2 minutes then toss in the pasta. Fold the sauce well into the pasta. Turn the heat very low and keep folding until it is well combined. Add the remaining chopped basil and mix well.

Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese and a side of crusty garlic bread. Mmm Delizioso!