Penne with Roast Pepper Cream Sauce and Peas

It's been a while since my last post and I thought I would post a dish that my Dad loved. He really liked any pasta with cream sauce and this one is really flavorful and easy. Even though Dad did not like vegetables he did like the addition of peas in this recipe and I got to sneak in the peppers. Please don't feel you have to roast your own peppers as I am showing you here. They are kind of a pain in the neck but I wanted to show you how to do it and it is very cost effective.

Ingredients

4 red peppers or 1 jar
1 pound of Penne or other type of pasta
1 pint of heavy cream (or a bit more)
2 cups parm Cheese
1 cup of frozen or fresh peas
2 tablespoons of butter (optional)
salt and pepper

Method to roast the peppers:

As you can see from the picture, I used my gas burner to blacken the outside of the pepper. You can also use a BBQ grill.
Using tongs hold the pepper over an open fire till the exposed section becomes black. Turn and continue the process until the whole pepper is black. Immediately place inside a paper bag. Continue the process till all the peppers are done. Close the bag and let sit for a few minutes. When cool enough to do so, scrape away the outside black layer leaving only the red pepper. OK if there is some black left don't worry about it. Cut in half to remove the seeds and white rib parts leaving only the "filet"
These peppers can also be used as a side dish with the addition of some olive oil and garlic slices. In fact they last quite a while and the longer they marinade in some oil and garlic the better.





To Make the sauce:

Take the pepper fillets and put into a food processor with a little water or some of the cream. Puree till smooth.
mix in the rest of the cream and some salt.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the pasta into the boiling water and set your timer to 8-9 minutes.
Place the cream mixture over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, add the peas and allow to simmer till the peas are almost done. Drain the pasta and add the butter (or oil if you prefer) add the drained pasta to the cream sauce then mix in the parm cheese. Serve with some freshly grated black pepper.

A medium bodied red wine goes nicely. A Merlot or Cote de Rhone.