Roasted Red Pepper, Lemon-Oregano Oil, Toasted Almonds & Creamy Burrata Pasta
Roasted Red Pepper, Lemon-Oregano Oil, Toasted Almonds & Creamy Burrata Cannolicchi Rigati
Just last week Tuscany was freezing, and there was snow up north. Tuscan “freezing” is mild compared to northeastern winters I’m used to, maybe 30’s to early 40’s F. Somehow this week everything has shifted and it’s lows of 50’s in the morning with late 60’s to some days even being 72 midday! I’m embracing this pleasant change of weather and finding it inspiring for menu creation.
I don’t know if it’s the sunny weather, since January and most of February has been quite rainy and gloomy here, but as soon as I saw the red peppers conveniently moved to the front row at the usual ortolano (vegetable farmer’s market person) stand I shop at they caught my eye.
This red pepper sauce is so good you’ll forget all about tomato sauce! The flavor is enhanced by roasting them. Since they are naturally sweet, there is some onion to balance the flavor, a lemon-oregano oil for vibrant and bitter notes, toasted almonds for texture, and the creme de la creme to bind all the flavors: burrata!
Burrata is a type of cheese you don’t typically cook (although there are moments when it’s done like for the cappellacci pasta class I’m teaching at the end of March), so you add the burrata after the dish is plated.
Hope you give this creamy red pepper and burrata pasta a try!
Roasted Red Pepper, Lemon-Oregano Oil, Toasted Almonds & Creamy Burrata Pasta
Serves 2 large portions or 4 portions as part of a meal with more courses
Ingredients:
2 Red Peppers
½ a blonde onion
2 teaspoons chopped almonds
1.5 TB EVOO
Zest of half a lemon
1 to 2 teaspoons of Sicilian dried oregano
10 oz (300 gms) Burrata
Salt to taste
2 to 4 portions of your favorite dried short pasta
Mise en Place
Method:
Combine the EVOO, lemon zest, and dried oregano in a small bowl and set to the side. I put a range of dried oregano to use as it’s quite strong and a little goes a long way. I happen to LOVE oregano, and it’s one of the few herbs I prefer dry over fresh.
Lemon-Oregano Infused Oil
Grill or roast the red peppers in a dry pan with no oil. Turn them occasionally to char all sides of the pepper, this will take about 40 minutes. Once they are roasted on all sides, including the top and bottom place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This steams them and the skin pulls apart from the pepper, so it’s important to roast every angle of the pepper. If it’s not roasted the skin will not pull away and it will be difficult to peel.
While the peppers are roasting, slice the onion and sauté in a pan with a drizzle of EVOO. Sauté on low to medium flame until the onions are soft and slightly caramelized. This takes about 8 minutes.
Roasted Peppers Steaming in a Bowl Before Peeling
Toast the chopped almonds in a small skillet until golden, stirring occasionally. I keep the flame on medium to high and watch them like a hawk. You want the almonds to color slightly, but not burn and it’s a fine line that can be crossed easily. Once they are golden shutoff heat, and quickly transfer to another bowl as they continue to toast while sitting in the hot pan.
Chopped & Toasted Hazelnuts
Put your pasta water to boil, now that the components are in line to assemble the dish.
Peeled Roasted Peppers and Caramelized Onions
By now the peppers should be cool, and you can peel them as well as remove the seeds inside. Blend the peeled peppers along with the cooked onions. Place in a pan, adjust taste with salt while pasta cooks.
This sauce pairs best with a short pasta shape, feel free to cook according to package instructions as each brand has different cooking times. I always weigh my pasta and cook 80 to 100 grams per person.
Once the pasta is cooked drain the pasta, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan with the red pepper sauce. Stir well and add a splash of the pasta cooking water as needed to marry the sauce to the pasta. Divide the pasta into individual bowls. Tear apart the burrata into pieces, add a few pieces to each bowl. Drizzle each bowl with some of the lemon-oregano oil, sprinkle the toasted almonds, and a few pieces of the diced pepper. Enjoy!
