Recipe(tried): Spaghetti with Chipotle and Garlic

Elly ~ here is another idea for your vegetarian son. It is from the same cookbook as the red potato salad I previously posted.
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Spaghetti with Chipotle and Garlic

4 to 6 servings

1 pound spaghetti
sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
10 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons Chipotle Paste (see below)
freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and saut , stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to disintegrate, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and chipotle paste and saut , stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes more. Taste and correct the seasonings. Toss the sauce with the pasta and serve with the cheese, if desired.
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Chipotle Paste

8 whole dried chipotle peppers or 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 tsp ground chipotle
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 pinches ground cloves.

If using whole chipotles, place them in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes, adding more water if the saucepan threatens to dry out. Reserve the cooking liquid. (If there is non left, place 2 tablespoons hot water in the pan and swirl it to pick up the chipotle essence.) Remove and discard the stems from the chipotles. Place the chipotles and 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid, the lemon juice, cinnamon, chili powder, oregano, and cloves in a food processor or blender. Puree, scraping down the sides, until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes.

If using ground chipotles, stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons water to form a paste.

Refrigerate the paste in an airtight container. It will keep for at least one month.

Note: Chipotle Paste is a marvelous way to perk up a dish with a spicy, smoky flavor. A little goes a long way.

[From "3 Bowls Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery" by Seppo Ed Farrey with Myochi Nancy O'Hara, Houghton Mifflin Company 2000]