Roasted Capscium Rigatoni

By Lizzie Moss

It’s finally that time of year when I can sit myself in the sun with a large bowl of pasta and an ice cold spritz. 

With the sun out, I’ve just planted my spring veggies and as fate would have it, the only seeds that didn’t make it through propagation were the capsicums and cherry tomatoes — which means capsicums and cherry tomatoes in this recipe are, as always, courtesy of the local SlowFood market. This is my boyfriend’s favourite pasta (so he tells me) and thankfully it is one the quickest and simplest recipes in my repertoire. (It also leaves very little mess, and minimal washing up… which may be why he likes it so much). 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3 large red capsicums
• 2 red onions
• 3–4 cloves of garlic 
• A large handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 red chilli (the Bird’s eye variety will work)
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• Smoked salt (if you can find it, otherwise your usual salt is fine too)
• Olive oil (I like a punchy or robust flavour)
• 250ml of cream (I use oat cream)
• 500g of rigatoni or your pasta of choice

Method

1. Chop your capsicum and red onion into quarters or large chunks.
2. Place the capsicum and red onion on a lined baking tray with the whole chilli, cherry tomatoes and garlic gloves. Cover with olive oil. Roast at 180°C until they start to char slightly.
3. Blitz your roasted vegetables with a small immersion blender with plenty of salt and pepper. Add more olive oil and the smoked paprika then blitz until it forms a chunky paste. Adjust your seasoning as necessary.
4. Boil the pasta in salted water.
5. In a separate pan, gently heat your capsicum mix, stirring so it doesn’t stick.
6. Once the mix is warmed through, stir in your cream. You may think oat cream is a somewhat bizarre choice, but for those who cannot stomach a lot of lactose, it is a great substitute. You can find it at the supermarket near the tofu (usually). 
7. When the pasta is a minute or so from being ready, add it to your sauce. Don’t forget to add a little bit of starchy pasta water to help it all come together. Turn the heat up and stir until your rigatoni is fully coated.
8. Contrary to my earlier statement about lactose, I serve this with a creamy cheese. Fresh mozzarella or burrata work well, and they can also help cool down the chilli.