1 lb of Rigatoni
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 small jar or 1/2 a large jar of roasted red peppers
1 white onion, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/3 cup of vodka
2 tbsp of Calabrian chilli paste
1/2 cup of mascarpone
flaky salt
basil (for serving)
grated parmesan for serving
begin by blending the jar of red peppers in a blender until smooth, set aside until later.
next get a heavily salted pot of water boiling, ready to cook the pasta. it should be salty like the sea.
now you can start gently sautéing the diced onions in the olive oil using a heavy bottomed pan (I like a dutch oven) over a medium heat until soft (appox 5-7 mins). next add in the garlic and continue sautéing until the garlic is soft, but keep an close eye not to burn. next add the calabrian chilli paste and stir in for a few seconds to just warm through.
this is a good time to drop the rigatoni and cook according to the packet. under cook by at least 2 minutes as this pasta will continue cooking in the sauce.
now add in the vodka and let the the alcohol burn off (1-2 mins). next add the blended red pepper mixture to the onions, garlic and calabrian chilli pasta and turn the heat down to medium low. continue on a low simmer (approx 5 mins).
turn the heat off completely and add the mascarpone to the onion, garlic, red pepper mixture and stir gently until well combined.
drain the pasta, reserving a little pasta water as you go.
add the drained pasta straight into the red pepper, onion, garlic and mascarpone mixture and stir gently to incorporate, adding a dash of pasta water to loosen then sauce where needed.
serve in your favourite bowl with a few basil leaves, some grated parmesan and flaky sea salt.
enjoy and let me know what you think!
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