Perfect Spicy Penne
Italian pasta recipes always give me a sense of comfort. Prefect Spicy Penne is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Made with just a splash of Tabasco sauce and red chiles, it adds a little bit of a kick to your usual pasta dish.
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, chopped coarse
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 8 rashers pancetta or bacon
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 can (14-ounces) tomatoes, chopped
- 1 can (14-ounces) pasata (sieved tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 250 gram mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
- 3 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red chillies
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 50 gram Parmesan cheese, grated
- 350 gram Penne pasta
Instructions
- Dice the bacon and fry over a moderate heat in the olive oil until it begins to crisp and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Dice the onions and fry in the same pan for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic to the onions and fry for 1 minute.
- Douse the pan with the wine to remove any stuck on food and flavour. Add the remaining ingredients including the bacon, and season well.
- The pepper is best skinned, do this by scorching under the grill and then place the pepper in a polyethylene bag for 5 minutes to sweat. The skin should come away quite easily under a running tap.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and check the sauce for heat, add more tabasco if needed. Leave to simmer for about 1/2 an hour before serving.
- To serve, combine the sauce in a large pan with the cooked pasta, and garnish with more basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with fresh crusty bread or ciabatta flutes