Jamie Oliver’s Balsamic Pepper Pasta

Jamie Oliver’s Balsamic Pepper Pasta, featured in his latest cookbook “One: Simple One-Pan Wonders” is a favorite of his five kids.

The fry-pan pastas are the cool innovation of Jamie Oliver’s new book “One: Simple One-Pan Wonders.” They are, however, sized for one portion; I think because the more pasta you cook, the bigger the pan you need. We’ve adjusted it so you can make it for four – two adults and two smaller people. You will, however, need a very large frying pan to make this work. Jane uses her 12-inch skillet and it worked just fine.

Jamie’s original recipe also calls for you to cut fresh lasagna sheets into the size noodles you desire. That’s both time-consuming and it’s tricky to keep the noodles even. Just buy pre-cut tagliatelle instead.

Serves 2 adults; 2 kids

Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh tagliatelle

3 cloves of garlic

1 fresh red chili (or dried chili flakes), optional

3 to 4 sprigs of basil

3 roasted red peppers (homemade or from a jar)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for garnish

2 cups passata (pureed, strained tomatoes), available at most grocery stores

Salt to taste

thick balsamic vinegar

 Method:

Boil 2/12 cups of water in an electric kettle or a pot.

Peel the garlic, then finely slice with the chili, if using, and basil stalk, reserving the leaves. Drain the peppers and slice into thin strips.

Put a deep, 12-inch frying pan over high heat. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil into the pan with the garlic, chili and basil stalk.

When the garlic is lightly golden, stir in the peppers for 1 minute, followed by the tomatoes. Bring the mixture back to a simmer.

Scatter the pasta into the pan, then carefully pour in enough boiling water to just cover the pasta. You should need about 2 cups. Let it bubble away for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the pasta has absorbed most of the water and you’ve got a nice rich sauce. Stir regularly and use a set of tongs to make sure the noodles don’t stick together. Loosen with an extra splash of water, if needed. Season with salt to taste.

Turn the heat off. Tear and toss in the basil leaves, stir in the Parmesan and a good drizzle of balsamic. Divide into four bowls and garnish with extra parmesan or basil if desired.