A big “Thanks!” to all who followed along last week with my “Day-in-the-Life“… ‘Twas a fun little exercise for me, and I hope y’all enjoyed it as well!
Today I thought I’d share the recipe for the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce I made that Thursday… It’s probably my favorite recipe I’ve ever modified to make my own and has quickly become a kitchen staple for us.
{image courtesy of Alexandra’s Kitchen}
Like so many of her recipes, I’ve been drooling over the Pioneer Woman’s Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce for ages but have yet to bite the bullet and bust out the heavy cream. A month or so ago, a display of gorgeous bell peppers flirted with me from the produce section, and I couldn’t hold out any longer. However, we were about to leave for a trip to the Big Easy where Champion Grade Good Eatin’ was sure to occur, and I wanted something slightly lighter for our “pre-gaming.”
And so, Kate’s Spicy Red Pepper Sauce was born!
Ingredients
- two 12 oz. jars of roasted red peppers in olive oil, drained / roast 3-4 fresh peppers ( Alexandra shows you how!)
- 2 T. olive oil (or, if you’re using jarred peppers, use 2 T. from the jar for olive oil that is deliciously infused with pepper flavor)
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (per usual, I prefer the yellow ones for their brighter flavor)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 c. dry white wine (or veggie stock)
- handful of flat leaf Italian parsley
- heavy sprinkling of red pepper flakes
- kosher salt / ground pepper to taste
Directions
If you’re an All-Star (as I originally planned on being), follow Alexandra’s instructions to roast fresh peppers over your gas range or grill. Remove the outer skin with your fingers, quarter, and scrape your knife along the insides of the peppers to de-membrane.
{more from Alexandra’s Kitchen}
If hurricane season hates you and invokes the wrath of the weather gods every time you feel like using your outdoor grill… or if you’re short on time… or if you just feel like using jarred peppers, thankyouverymuch… then purchase those jarred suckers with your head held high! {While roasting the peppers yourself makes you feel like a culinary stud, I actually prefer using that pepper-infused oil from the jars – so delish!}
Heat the olive oil, sauteing the garlic, shallot, and onion over medium until fragrant – about 4 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and peppers. Stir until tomatoes just begin to break down, then add wine (or veggie stock). Simmer until tomatoes are partially liquefied – about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. {Note: I OD on red pepper flakes in almost every recipe I cook… I love the kick! But if you’re not a lover of all things spicy, dial back on the flakes a bit – or omit them altogether!}
Transfer the whole kit-n-kaboodle to a food processor or blender and pulse until sauce is smooth. If you can’t stand seeds in your sauce, you might want to bust out the food mill… but that’s a bit too much effort for this easygoing chef!
{image via author’s cache of crummy iPhone photos}
Serve over pasta or grilled chicken / fish. Or add some kick to your normal pizza routine. Or dunk your entire fist in it and lick that sucker like a soft-serve cone. Or maybe not that last one.
