This is a variation of a basic tomato sauce made with the last good summer peppers and dry porcini. The peppers are slowly stewed to create a creamy yet light texture.
Recipe
Ingredients
- One 400 gr. (14 oz) organic diced canned tomatoes
- 15 gr. (1/2 oz) dried porcini soaked in 2/3 cup lukewarm water
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large red or yellow sweet pepper cut into 1 cm. (1/2 inch) wide strips
- 350 gr. (12 oz) short pasta like penne, rigatoni or lumache ( or gluten-free alternatives)
Directions
Use a shallow, thick bottomed pan with a lid which must be large enough to hold all the pasta. Sauté the onion and sweet peppers in 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until they start to caramelize. Add the soaked porcini with their water, lower the heat, cover and cook until all vegetables are soft and falling apart, about 30-45 min. Add the tomato and cook for additional 10 min. until slightly thickened.
Use with short pasta with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley or thyme, if desired.
Serves 2-3
Ciao Letizia – I just came across your kind note on my blog for a few back. Grazie for being so sweet! I would love to visit you and the area, for which I am long overdue. Looking forward to reading more delicious blogs from you as well! Un bacio – M:)
Ciao Megan
how nice to hear from you. There’s a lot of time to come to Umbria before the season starts again!
This blog is so beautiful! I just love it. It’s so YOU Letizia. Why did I have to wait to today to find it? I found it because someone came on my blog from here and I saw that and thought hmmmm, are they coming from your main site … or….! Remember last year I told you my friend said to me ” that Letizia, she is the REAL DEAL!” That you are. I would love to be out of the snow with you down there but I think you might still be away. Much love to you, Ruud, Tea, and Google. A presto….. bacioni diana
Ciao Diana, we are just back from Thailand and Hong Kong (see picture in today’s post). No snow in Assisi but pretty cold, it is tough to get used to the temperature after the tropics. Bacioni a te
L.
Letizia, I am making this pasta sauce right now but having trouble getting it to fall apart and not brown. It’s quite brown. But I’m just going to go with it! It smells delightful anyway and we will enjoy it I know.
I was hoping to meet you in person this fall but life has intervened and now it will be May 2014, but I am determined to eventually cook with you in reality and not just virtually!
Thank you for your way with food.
Phyllis
Hi Phyllis, I am sorry but I have only seen your comment now, I hope you enjoyed the pasta anyway. I believe that reason of the color of your sauce is that you must have used to high heat at a certain point during cooking. My peppers stay red (or yellow) until completely cooked. They become brown when I add the porcini with their sauce. Winter peppers can be a bit dry so if they dont fall apart but only become very soft is OK. Buon appetito!
It was delicious! Had my heat down low the whole time until it seemed it was not moving quickly enough for me, at which point I turned it up a little. maybe for too long! Haha. But anyway, it’s all good and eaten now and well-enjoyed. Thank you for the ideas!!
Peppers kept their color but had some browned edges, which tasted great anyway. Live and learn!
well, you can call it “caramelized peppers and porcini pasta sauce”!