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Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni

By Nadia Aidi
Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni… I was craving a red pepper sauce but also a carbonara, so I took the idea and ran with it. Before you come for my head, I am NOT claiming it is carbonara in any way, shape or form ok? OK? ok...I simply took my favorite elements of it and infused them into my classic roasted red pepper pasta. I will be a heretic here, but I will say that I am not crazy about guanciale, at least not the guanciale I can find in town. I tried it in Italy last year and it was a game changer, but here? I much prefer pancetta.

Ingredients 

  • 3 medium/large red bell peppers
  • 1 fresno pepper
  • 4 oz pancetta, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + more for rubbing on the peppers
  • 1 large shallot, brunoise
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup grated parmigiano, more for topping
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 basil leaves + more for topping
  • 8 oz mezzi rigatoni

Directions 

  • Rub oil onto the bell peppers and fresno. Broil until black on all sides. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
  • Peel and remove seeds. Blend with the basil
  • In a cold pan, add the pancetta and turn heat to medium high for 2 min. Lower to med low and let it render and crisp up
  • Remove from the pan and add olive oil, the shallots and garlic clove. Cook on medium until translucent and remove garlic
  • Add in 3/4 of the pepper paste (reserve some because it makes a bit too much). Add in fish sauce & tamari
  • Boil your pasta in salted water until almost al dente
  • Whisk the egg into the parm and temper by adding 1/4 cup of pasta water
  • Add the pasta to the sauce with some pasta water and cook for 2 min until it becomes glossy
  • Turn heat off and add the parm egg and mix until fully incorporated. Test and add salt if needed at this point
  • Serve with the pancetta, parm and basil

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

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