The peck of peppers and homework from Annalena

Well, ragazzi, let's get the homework out of the way first. As you know, I have written often of my disagreements with the food writer Mark Bittman. Today, however, he has written a SUPERB article which, in Annalena's opinion, needs to be read, shared, discussed, and acted upon:

http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/is-junk-food-really-cheaper/?scp=1&sq=%22mark%20bittman%22%20%20%22fast%20food%22&st=cse


What Annalena says of this is RIGHT ON MR. BITTMAN! He said it better than I could have, and this damn well ought to start debate on this topic. Annalena particularly loves the comparison to exercise : more is better than less, and some is better than none. To all of us, let's try to make an effort to cut out ONE item of junk food or fast food from our diets permanently.

Ok, to the cooking. Late summer and early fall is a time when, in Annalena's book, peppers rule. She is told that, ultimately, they are not very nourishing, give beautiful color to dishes, but are a so-called "trash vegetable" which does not belong in the hallowed camp of veggies like broccoli and spinach.

To which I answer "and your point is?" adding only that many of the foods we now regard as nutritious were not so considered, and vice versa. Peppers do have vitamin A and C in them. Not the quantity of strawberries or oranges, but again, more than a Big Mac.... The ripe ones (red, yellow, orange, which we are going to use in this recipe) do not cause the digestive issues that green ones do, so go ahead and do this.

One of Mr. Bittman's points is that it is a myth that cooking your own food is overly time consuming. He draws an apt analogy to how much time people spend watching television every day. It's appropriate here, because you can make this dish in a half hour, and it is filling, delicious, and I bet good for you.

Let's start with four medium-large bell peppers. If you can get mixed colors, fabulous. The dish will be that much prettier. If you can't, also wonderful. Cut the peppers into strips that are about half an inch wide, and then peel three large cloves of garlic, but don't cut them, chop them, or anything.

Peppers seem to work best when cooked with a little butter, so put about two tablespoons each of butter and olive oil into a frying pan, and melt the butter. Again, if you don't use or don't have butter, just double the olive oil. Add the garlic first. When it begins to sizzle, add the peppers, toss them in the fat, and then add a goodly pinch of salt. Peppers seem to need more salt than other vegetables, so don't stint. Now, add about a quarter cup of chopped fresh basil. Toss everything together, cover the pan, and lower the heat.

Fill your pasta pot with hot water, and get it going. When it comes to a boil, add some salt, like you always do for pasta, and add half a pound of one of the shaped pastas. You can use the long ones, like linguini, but it is difficult to pick up some of everything when you use the longer varieties. Check the peppers after a few minutes. They should be on the "tender" side of "tender crisp." If the pasta is just a little too aldente, that's what you want. Drain it, and put it in with the pepper/basil mix and toss it together.

Now, let's back up. If you've used all olive oil, and stopped here, you have a wonderful vegan dish. BUT.... if you want to make something that will really push this to the next level, before you add the pasta, and a quarter pound of soft cheese to the peppers, or a mix of cheese and creme fraiche. Stir it in until it melts, and when the pasta is ready , toss that in as well. As the pasta continues to cook, it will pick up some of the moisture that is in the pan, and this sauce, which will look ridiculously wet and loose, will come together nicely. Then, grate your favorite hard cheese into the dish, toss some more basil in at the last minute, and...

Wait for your guests to smile.

Fast food? Yes. Junk food? No. C'mon folks, let's start our own "fast food" movement, and within it, PASTA RULES!!!!