LINGUINI AND PEPPERS

LINGUINI AND PEPPERS

Fresh sweet green, red and yellow peppers sautéed with garlic, then tossed with linguini and a sesame, soy sauce, sweet/sour basil dressing. Simply stated!

Serves 6

1 lb. linguini, broken in half

2 T. margarine

3 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped

1 green pepper, cut into 3/16 inch wide strips, lengthwise

1 red pepper, cut into 3/16 inch wide strips, lengthwise

1 yellow pepper, cut into 3/16 inch wide strips, lengthwise

sev. dashes red cayenne pepper

salt to taste

1/3 c. sesame oil

1 T. hot chili oil

1 T. soy sauce

3 T. white vinegar

3 T. sugar

1 t. dried basil

1/2 t. dry mustard

salt & black pepper to taste

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Break linguini in half; add to water, & cook, stirring frequently, till tender. Drain.

While linguini cooks, saute peppers. In large skillet, over medium-low heat, melt margarine. Add garlic & peppers all at once. Stir to coat with margarine; add red cayenne pepper & salt, then saute till just tender, about 5 minutes.

In small bowl combine sesame oil, chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, basil & dry mustard. Stir briskly with fork till thoroughly blended. Salt & pepper to taste.

To assemble: Place linguini back into empty pot. Add peppers, then pour dressing over all. Toss till coated & peppers are evenly distributed. Do not over toss. Spoon onto dinner plates & serve at once.

Notes: I serve Linguini & Peppers all by itself; any accompaniments would be a distraction. Serve as lunch or dinner, or as I often do, as a late night supper. It’s easy to make, even when you’re tired.

Do not break the linguini over the pot; the steam will make the strands stick together. Break away from the pot, then add. The smaller pieces of linguini enable you to more evenly distribute the peppers throughout the linguini when tossing it.