Rigatoni with Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Sauce with Garlic and Basil

I am always excited about an Italian grand prix because that inevitably means pasta. This is the third or fourth pasta sauce I have made from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, and it is another perfect recipe. The peppers are a little fiddly as you have to peel them (I have never peeled bell peppers before but it was less tedious than I expected!), and the parmesan takes a minute to grate, but otherwise this is simple and delicious.

Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Sauce with Garlic and Basil 

Serves 6

3 large bell peppers (some red, some yellow)
15-20 basil leaves, washed and torn into pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
⅔ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
12 ounces rigatoni pasta

1. Wash the peppers and cut them lengthwise along their crevices. Scoop away and discard any seeds and white centers. Peel the peppers, using a swivel-blade peeler using a light sawing motion. Cut the peppers lengthwise into strips about ½ inch wide, then cut in half to shorten. 

2. Choose a large saute pan that can eventually fit all the peppers without crowding. Put the olive oil and garlic in the pan, cook the garlic over medium heat until it is colored and the oil is fragrant, at that point remove the garlic. 

3. Put the peppers in the pan, continue to cook over medium heat for another 15 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. Add a few pinches of salt and take off the heat until ready to mix in the pasta. 

4. Cook the pasta per package directions. When you are nearly ready to drain and toss the pasta, melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave until it is melted but not sizzling. 

5. Toss the cooked drained pasta with the peppers, add the butter, the grated parmesan, and the basil and toss thoroughly. Serve at once, sprinkled with more fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan.

Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan