Angel Hair Pasta With Peppers and Tomatoes
This simple pasta celebrates the end-of-summer harvest and is perfect for a light lunch or supper, or as part of a buffet. Bell peppers and other sweet peppers — like Corno di Toro and many other varieties of peppers of every hue — ripen in late summer, the same time as long-awaited flavorful (and multicolored) tomatoes, making their pairing seem almost preordained.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2garlic cloves, smashed to a paste
- 2tablespoons red-wine vinegar, or a bit less, to taste
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bread crumbs, if using
- Salt and pepper
- Red-pepper flakes, to taste
- 1cup finely diced sweet peppers (a mix of colors, if possible)
- 3to 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes, or larger tomatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1pound angel hair pasta, capellini or spaghettini
- 2ounces ricotta salata or mild feta cheese, roughly crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- ¼cup coarse toasted bread crumbs, for garnish (optional)
- 1small bunch basil, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Put a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.Step 2
In a low, wide salad bowl or pasta-serving bowl, combine garlic, red-wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add a good pinch of salt, black pepper and red-pepper flakes.Step 3
Add sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes, season well with salt and toss to coat with dressing. (You may do this up to an hour before cooking the pasta.)Step 4
Salt the pasta water and cook the angel hair pasta until al dente, usually 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander.Step 5
Add cooked pasta to the bowl and toss well to coat, spooning over juices from bottom of bowl and bringing plenty of tomatoes and peppers to the surface.Step 6
Sprinkle with ricotta salata. If using bread crumbs, season with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a little salt, then sprinkle crumbs over surface.Step 7
Garnish with whole or torn basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.