Recipe: Whole-Wheat Penne with Red - Article: Peppers, Peppers Everywhere, Both Sweet an

PEPPERS, PEPPERS EVERYWHERE, BOTH SWEET AND HOT
Source: American Institute for Cancer Research
By Dana Jacobi author of The Joy of Soy

Looking at how often Americans use fresh peppers, you also see how our food tastes have evolved over the past 25 to 30 years. The increased popularity of this vegetable (botanically, a fruit), in its many varieties, shows how strong culinary influences from immigrant populations, our own travels, and the work of influential food writers have spread to the mainstream and influenced what supermarkets carry.

Well into the 1970s, green bell peppers were the sole choice at many supermarkets. For all the other sweet peppers, people had to rely mainly on summer farm stands or local home gardens. For any kind of chile pepper, they had to go to an ethnic market or shop at stores that focused on gourmet cooking.

Today, virtually every supermarket routinely displays a rainbow of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers. Many even include purple and greenish white ones, on occasion. Hot peppers, especially jalape os, serrano and milder poblano peppers, are now easy to find, too. The selection, however, tends to be significantly better when there is an ethnic community nearby, perhaps Jamaicans using super-incendiary Scotch bonnets, Asians seeking little bird chiles, or Mexican cooking with ripe, red jalape os.

Roasted sweet red peppers are perhaps my favorite ethnic preparation of all. Many of us first tasted them as part of an Italian antipasto. They then received vigorous promotion by writers and chefs, including Paula Wolfert, Deborah Madison and Joyce Goldstein, focusing on authentic and Mediterranean-influenced dishes from Italy, Spain and North Africa, and on techniques for roasting peppers at home.

The red pesto in the following recipe falls between a Spanish, nut-based romesco sauce and an Italian condiment. It is as good served with fish and poultry as it is on pasta.

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WHOLE-WHEAT PENNE WITH RED PESTO

1 large red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded*
8 ounces whole-wheat penne
1 to 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, or to taste
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, packed
1/4 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp. grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. extra virgin oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Set water to boil for the pasta.

Place the pepper, cut sides down, on a baking sheet. Roast until the skin is blistered and is blackened in spots, about 20 minutes. Transfer the peppers, with any juices, to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam 20 minutes. Lift off the skin, and coarsely chop the peppers.

When water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place the peppers, garlic, parsley, nuts, and cheese in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the nuts are chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the chicken broth, then the oil. When the pesto is just pulpy, season it to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside while the pasta cooks to let the flavors meld.

When pasta is tender, drain and divide it among four shallow, wide bowls. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

*One cup of good quality, bottled roasted peppers can be used if you prefer.

Makes 4 servings or 4 cups
Per serving: 332 calories, 13 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 47 g. carbohydrate, 11 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 84 mg. sodium.