Pepperoni pesto sauce (with cream)

Sept. 15
Pepperoni pesto sauce (with cream)

This is a La Nina special, invented because I love peppers and I love heavy cream! and one summer day about 17 years ago, I bought about 10 lbs of peppers on sale at a little local market. I roasted some, I fired some and I had 4 leftover!

Forgive me if this is a repeat recipe, but I went back through the older posts and couldn't find it. I made this dish last night and probably changed it anyway...so here goes the latest, last night's version of pepperoni pesto with cream sauce will go with any short pasta. I like to use penne, shells, farfalle…but any one will do. This recipe serves 6.

4 large red peppers minced
1 large onion minced
2 cloves of garlic minced
salt and hot pepper to taste

Cook the above on a medium/hot flame in 3 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 lb of butter. The "water" (liquid) will kick out. When the peppers, onions and garlic mixture is dry, add a glass of white wine. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio marry well with this dish.

Cook on high flame till the alcohol burns out. Add 1/2 quart of heavy whipping cream (this is not a dietetic as you can see) Stir until it thickens.

Fling in the cooked pasta and add 3 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano—not more, it is simply to amalgamate the whole dish, not to kill the taste! If no hot pepper was added, serve with coarse ground black pepper.

This is a lovely, but rich dish. For 6 people use about 1 ½ lbs of pasta. Don't drain the pasta tight. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water, just in case it’s too thick, or to add to some that’s left over to save in the fridge for a day or two later. Heats up great in the microwave—covered. About 2 & 1/2 minutes!

Serve with either a lovely spinach, mixed green or Boston or butter leaf lettuce salad.
Go easy on the condiments e buon appetito!