Pasta With Peppers

This pasta and peppers dish creates a Mediterranean inspired dish with a complex flavor. Though it does take some time,  there is nothing difficult about making it. This dish evolved from the original recipe found in the first Top Chef cookbook, though it has gone through a few changes. It is a favorite in out family.

1 large onion, diced

3-5 large cloves (not heads) of garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

2 large or 3 medium red peppers sliced into inch long thin strips

1 lb of diced chicken, raw

1 Tbs. Butter

1 jar Sundried tomatoes in oil- sliced into strips

1 Tbs. minced Rosemary

Half a regular size bottle of white wine-Riesling is best

2 regular boxes of Penne Pasta

1 jar of sliced Kalamata Olives -drained

Grated parmesan cheese to top final dish.

Put a pan with a Tablespoon of olive oil on the stove on medium heat and reheat it. Add the onion, garlic and shallots. Stir often.  Cook until the onions are just getting translucent.

During this time, set a large pot of water to boil with a teaspoon of salt in the water.

Add in the peppers to the onion mixture.

In another pan melt the butter and cook the chicken until it just starts to brown and is almost cooked through. Then add the chicken mixture to the onions and peppers. Also add in the sundried tomatoes in oil and the rosemary. Slowly start pouring in some wine and letting it reduce until at least half the liquid is gone then add more.

When you first add the wine, start cooking the pasta in boiling water. When you have used about half the wine, add in the olives. When the pasta is done and the wine has reduced down to just a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, toss the pasta and sauce mixture together and top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Optional:

You can add toasted pine nuts to a variation.

To make it vegetarian-you can take out the chicken. To make it vegan, take out the cheese as well or replace with vegan cheese. This is a great opportunity to add in the pine nuts for protein.