Pasta with peppers

This recipe is adapted from my Vegetarian cookbook. Pasta and bell peppers is delicious on its own, but this recipe has a tangy, slightly sweet, and light sauce. I was slightly suspicious because this recipe calls for parboiled bell peppers. I know that vegetables lose nutrients when you boil them, but hopefully the large-ish amount of peppers here makes up for that. The main benefit of parboiling here is that you don't have to use any oil to saute the peppers, and you can use the same pot and water (one pot meal! hooray!) for the pasta. Maybe next time I would roast the peppers for a slightly better flavor.

After parboiling three peppers, I cooked 8 oz. of pasta in the same water. Meanwhile, I made a sauce from about 1 Tbsp mustard, 1 Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp honey, 2 Tbsp golden raisins, and 2 Tbsp capers. When the pasta was al dente and drained, I mixed everything together in the pot, and when it was a bit cooler, I added about 4 oz. (half a ball) of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces. I drizzled a bit of olive oil, sprinkled some red pepper flakes, and mixed again. I also shredded some Pecorino Romano cheese on top right before serving (thank you, Whole Foods—although I feel the rest of your food is overpriced and your staff was rude). The recipe makes 4 servings.

I have a similar recipe in my Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (aka the Bible). It starts with sauteing some garlic, then adding 1 cup stock (or dry white wine) along with capers, golden raisins, crushed red pepper flakes, and cauliflower. When the pasta is done cooking, add it to the stock/cauliflower reduction, and garnish with fresh basil. (The actual recipe calls for more fancy things—saffron, anchovies, and pine nuts—but I made this and it was good.)