Spicy, Sweet & Sour Pepper Pasta

This meal I prepared from a recipe I found in my "Everyday" magazine. The recipe can also be found here: Sweet & Sour Peppers & Penne. This pasta dish was sooooo good! I highly recommend it... it's really unique and has so many different flavors combinations that it's a party in your mouth! It is spicy ... but in a flavorful not so overpowering kinda way.

Red bell peppers are insanely expensive and I just can't wrap my mind wrapped around it at times. I did have half of a red pepper leftover from another meal so I used that up and substituted green bell peppers for the rest. I also chose not to use anchovy fillets because frankly they are hairy and gross me out... I prefer using anchovy paste. You can find it in the same section as regular anchovies and the paste is cheaper! You can omit the anchovies in the recipe but honestly they just give the dish a rich, salty flavor and you won't taste the fishiness.

I cooked the entire amount because we love pasta in this house and it will reheat well for leftovers.

ingredients

• salt & pepper
• 1 lb rigatoni rigate
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 oz anchovy paste
• 1 Fresno Chile, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 1/2 bell peppers (green is the cheapest!)
• 1 cubanelle, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh spicy oregano (wait until you are about to add to the pan to chop this so it doesn't turn black)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• grated Parmesan

directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook pasta according to directions on packaging. Reserve a ladle of the cooking water and set aside. What I like to do is reserve 2 or 3 ladles of pasta water into a glass measuring cup (large) and that way I always have extra water, just in case!
2. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high, then add EVOO, anchovy paste until mostly melted away. Be careful here because it spits out a lot all over the place so I would suggest starting the heat at medium, then moving up to medium high heat when you are about to add Chile and garlic. This way you might avoid the splatter disaster I had.
3. Stir in Fresno and garlic and stir for one minute. Don't let the garlic burn or it will become bitter in taste. Next add the rest of the peppers and onions and season with oregano. Cook for about 15 minutes until veggies are softened.
4. Stir in the vinegar and sugar until evaporated. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Lower the heat to low and toss the pasta with the sauce and reserved pasta cooking water. Top with fresh parsley and cheese.

Enjoy!