Rose & Steve's Recipes

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===== Pasta Puttanesca with Roasted Red Peppers =====


From Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes: No Meat/No Dairy, All Delicious by Robin Asbell (Chronicle Books, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Robin Asbell. Photographs copyright © 2011 by Kate Sears. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.

Serves 4

This version of the classic Puttanesca sauce is a celebration of the various forms that a pepper can take, from roasted and pickled to dried hot flakes. It's a zingy-hot specialty that you can make from a well-stocked pantry, so keep the ingredients on hand and you are halfway to dinner!

Sometimes you just want something on top of your pasta or sprinkled on a salad for crunch. Bread crumbs are actually a traditional Italian topping that soaks up sauce and clings to pasta. This optional vegan Almond-Crumb "Parmesan" topping adds the mild crunchy presence of almonds.

    * 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    * 1 cup/120 g chopped onions
    * 2 garlic cloves, minced
    * 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    * 7 ounces/200 g bottled roasted red peppers/capsicums, drained and rinsed
    * 1/4 cup/35 g kalamata olives, halved and pitted
    * 2 medium pepperoncini, drained and sliced
    * 2 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
    * 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
    * 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    * 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt
    * 6 ounces/170 g dried linguine or other long pasta

**Almond-Crumb "Parmesan", optional:**

    * 1/4 cup/30 g slivered/flaked blanched almonds
    * 6 slices white baguette, crusts removed
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt
    * 1 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
    * 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)
    * 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes more. Squeeze the liquid from the peppers/capsicums and mince them, then add them to the pan with the olives, pepperoncini, tomato paste/puree, capers, oregano, basil, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thick.

2. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions, then drain. Add it to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat. Serve hot, seasoning with Almond-Crumb "Parmesan", if desired.

**If using the Almond-Crumb "Parmesan":**

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C/gas 2. On a baking sheet/tray, spread the almonds at one end of the pan and put the bread slices at the other. Bake for 10 minutes, just to lightly toast the almonds. If the bread is still moist enough to sink in when you poke it in the middle, use a spatula to transfer the almonds to a bowl and return the bread to the oven for another 5 minutes. The bread should be dry and crisp, but not browned.

2. Put the almonds, bread, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped and the bread is in large crumbs. Transfer to a small bowl, and if using yeast, lemon zest, or garlic, stir them in. Store in a jar or tightly sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.