Friday, February 09, 2007

Radiotoni (pasta) tossed with Beef and Red pepper



Hidden under a shroud of modesty or just plain lethargy are my husbands excellent cooking skills. His steak meal, courtesy our humble backyard grill, could put the best of the best to shame. In less than a mere 40 minutes he can put together a couple of perfectly seasoned NY strips (medium well- just the way I like 'em), crusty fluff centered baked potatoes, grilled vegetables, garlic toast AND do the dishes. Yeah, the man is definitely culinarily adept. But he doesnt do it often enough, and when he does he doesnt wait to be asked. This recipe is the outcome of one such event. I was working in the study when I heard all sorts of clanking in the kitchen and on checking, saw pasta in a pot of boiling water and hubby completely absorbed in mashing something in a metal bowl. He has had no formal training in cooking and doubt (very unlike moi) has ever watched a single Food Network show, so his techniques and methods are unique but I can vouch that the outcomes are consistently YUM. If only I can convince him to do it more often :).
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Radiotoni tossed with Beef and Red pepper Ala Selvin!

You will need:
1 lb Radiotoni (or any other non stringy pasta)
1 lb extra lean ground beef (can substitute with turkey)
1 tomato chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1-2 garlic cloves finely minced
1 tsp Lawry's garlic pepper seasoning
1 jar Trader Joe's pasta sauce
Olive oil about 2 tbsp.

-Boil water and cook pasta as per box directions. Ours took almost 25 minutes to cook to dente.
-Meanwhile, mix ground beef with garlic pepper well and let stand for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes to beef mixture.
-Heat medium nonstick saucepan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and cook beef-tomato mixture. Add garlic and salt to taste. When the meat is no longer pink add pasta sauce and let simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
-While this is happening, drain pasta making sure it is cooked.
-In a seperate pan sautee red pepper with olive oil till soft and cooked.
-Add pasta and cooked red pepper to beef-tomato sauce. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil and mix together. Let simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

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