This recipe is from the “Thug Kitchen” cookbook- another gift! I’ve never seen a cookbook like this one! The language might be distracting for some people because the f… word is used a lot. My husband gave it to me because he thought it was funny but the joke was on “Mr. Meat-eater”- it is a vegetarian cookbook. I was pretty excited because I’m trying to incorporate at least one meatless meal a week. The nights we have a meatless dinner; my husband with grill his meat.
I decided to try the Roasted Bell Pepper Pasta recipe mainly because it looked fairly easy and the ingredients sounded like I would not have a problem finding them at the grocery store. However, I could not find a 12 oz. shelf package of silken tofu and settled for the refrigerated water packed tofu. The preparation of roasting bell peppers over the gas stove top is not as easy as it sounded! It was taking too long to blacken so I stopped before they were actually black all over which made it very hard to remove the skin after being covered for 10-15 minutes.
Along with being impatient for the peppers to blacken, I did not take the time to slice the zucchini in very thin matchsticks which is added at the end and resulted in a very crunchy zucchini. It makes a huge batch that is mostly pasta and I would prefer more vegetables. The result was just ok, probably because of my impatience throughout the process. In the end, this recipe was not for my liking, but might be for yours.
Below is the recipe:
Roasted Bell Pepper Pasta with Zucchini and Basil
Adapted from Thug Kitchen cookbook, page 160
Serves 4
Sauce:
12 oz. soft silken tofu
2 roasted red bell peppers, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ T red wine vinegar
2 t olive oil
¾ t salt
Red pepper flakes to taste
Pasta:
1 lb. fettuccine (or spaghetti, linguine)
4 medium zucchini
1 c basil, sliced in thin strips
For sauce: put all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce in a sauce pan and set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While waiting for the water to boil, slice the zucchini in thin matchsticks. When the pasta goes in the water, start to heat the sauce over low heat and do not let it come to a simmer- it may curdle. Drain pasta when done and place in a big bowl. Add the sauce and zucchini stirring to incorporate. Fold in the basil. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve.
Minnesota Food Lover 