Despite a beautiful hot summer’s day, I felt a bit tired of barbecuing chunks of chicken or seafood, which I had done rather excessively this summer, and instead opted for a summery veggie penne dish. Mind, I still ended up throwing on the barbie for roasting the peppers, but otherwise this doesn’t really feel like barbecue dinner to me which was the point 😀

You can easily make this fully vegetarian by skipping the pancetta and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. For a vegan dish, also skip the parmesan.

Sanni

Ingredients (per 1 dish):

• 1/2 green pepper, membrane and seeds removed
• 1/2 red pepper, membrane and seeds removed
• 1/2 yellow peppers, membrane and seeds removed

• 50 grams of green beans, tips removed and cut in half

• 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of diced pancetta or lardons (skip for a vegetarian/vegan dish)

• 50 ml of sherry (fino)
• 75 ml of chicken stock (alternatively vegetable stock)

• 1 to 2 branches of fresh rosemary
• 5 to 7 branches of fresh thyme
• 100 grams of penne rigate
• Freshly ground pepper
• Cervia salt
• Optional: 50 grams of ground parmesan

Preparation:

1. Start by roasting peppers. You can do this either on the barbecue or in the oven. I prefer the barbecue, as it is faster and the taste is better. Roast from both sides on medium heat until the skin forms bubbles and turns black. When the peppers turning soft, flatten gently with a burger flipper or similar. Alternatively, roast in the oven directly under the grill at trying to 50°C until you obtain the same result.
2. Let the peppers cool down a bit and then peel off the skin. Cut into large cubes. Set aside.
3. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for one and a half minutes, strain immediately and cool down in icewater. Set aside.
4. Heat up the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan or wok over medium heat. Try the onion until soft but do not let brown.
5. When soft, remove the onion from the pan and set aside.
6. At this point, you can start bringing around 1 1/2 liters of water to the boil with 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon of Cervia salt added.
7. Fry the pancetta in the same oil until it just starts to brown.
8. Deglaze with the sherry and let reduce for 1 to2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock, the rosemary and the thyme.
9. At this point, you can start boiling the pasta in the already boiling pasta water. Time at -2 minutes of the cooking time for an al dente result indicated on the package of the pasta.
10. As the sauce reduces, one after the other tip in the roasted peppers, the onion and the green beans Mix gently every now and then. Season with freshly ground pepper and some more Cervia salt to taste.
11. Strain of the pasta when done. The sauce should be well reduced by then without having turned dry.
12. Tip of the pasta into the sauce, mix into the vegetables and then served immediately on preheated pasta dishes.
13. You can serve it has sprinkle with Parmesan, although I believe this pasta does not really need it.