Recipe: Pasta with Roasted Peppers, Peas and Tomato Cream

By Nancy Caivano

Pasta with
Roasted Peppers, Peas and Tomato Cream

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
One lb pasta (I prefer cappellini/angel
   hair with this, but any pasta will work)
3 large beefsteak (or 6 plum) tomatoes,
   peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
   (or you can use one 28-oz can
   whole tomatoes)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic chopped, (or
   1 tbsp jar chopped garlic)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
One lb medium shrimp, peeled,
   deveined and tails removed
One lb fresh green peas, shelled,
   and blanched for 15 minutes (if
   you can't find fresh peas, use
   frozen peas, thawed and well drained)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
3 tbsp basil, julienne
3/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
   (or parmesan)
Salt and pepper

Method:
Heat oven to highest setting. Place red and yellow peppers directly on oven rack and roast until well blackened. Remove from oven and place in a zip top plastic bag until cool enough to handle. Remove skin, stem, seeds and ribs, and julienne. Set aside. (Or, you can blacken the peppers on a grill, and do the same as above).

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente; drain.

Place tomatoes in a food processor and process to a sauce consistency.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and sauté until onion just begins to brown. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp just begins to turn pink. Add peas, and sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce is desired consistency. Add roasted peppers, parsley, basil and season with salt and pepper.

Return drained pasta to pot. Add contents of skillet and combine well. Add romano cheese, toss well and serve immediately.