SPAGHETTINI WITH PEPPERS AND SAND

Spaghettini with Peppers and Sand image

Provided by St. Paul Eric

Time 20m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 6

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumb
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 lb spaghettini or 1/2 lb angel hair pasta

Steps:

Place a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
Remove core and seeds from pepper and slice thinly--julienne style.
Heat a large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Add the pepper and saute over high heat for two minutes.
The peppers should remain a little crisp.
Remove from the pan and set aside uncovered.
Heat the frying pan again and add the remaining oil and the garlic.
Saute just a few seconds.
Add the bread crumbs and red pepper flakes.
Gently toast the mixture, stirring often, until very lighly browned.
Boil the pasta until al dente and drain well.
Return to the pot and toss with the red bell pepper and the bread crumbs.
Salt and pepper to taste if desired.
NOTE ON DOUBLING: I have had some difficulty doubling this recipe easily.
It works, but you need to tweak the preparation a bit.
First, I'd recommend toasting the breadcrumb mixture in two batches (1/4 cup at a time).
It can also be difficult to toss the pasta evenly, so I'd start with a 1/3 of the pasta, add a third of the breadcrumb mixture and then add the second third and so forth.
You may need to add a little extra olive oil as well.