Fettuccine with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

There are two ingredients that I love more after roasting; red bell peppers and garlic.  Roasting the peppers over a flame until blackened and blistered, then removing the skin and seeds enhances their natural sweetness and they are miles apart in their flavor from the jarred variety.  Garlic as well is transformed when it’s roasted in the oven, becoming soft and sweet and far more subtle than in it’s raw state.  So when I was coming up with a new sauce, I knew I wanted to use both of these ingredients roasted to perfection.

This is such a simple sauce but it does require the patience to roast the items rather than take the easy route.  While a whole head of garlic may seem like overkill; don’t skimp.  And while I’m at it-don’t be afraid of the anchovies.  Yes anchovies.  They add a depth of flavor to the sauce as well as saltiness that if left out would be noticeable.  This is now one of my favorite sauces for pasta and also goes well with chicken and sausage.  Enjoy!

I started by cutting the top off a head of garlic and placed it in a small ramekin, then drizzled it with olive oil.  I covered it tightly with foil and roasted it in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour then let it cool.

In my food processor I added 1 medium diced onion and carrot and pulsed them until finely minced.

In a saute pan I heated 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat and added the onion/carrot mince along with 1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper flakes and cooked it for 8-10 minutes until soft.  I added 1/3 cup of dry white wine and cooked it for 3 minutes.

I roasted a red bell on my grill until it was blackened and blistered then covered it in a bowl to steam.  After 10 minutes, I removed the stem, skin and seeds then added them to my food processor.  I squeezed out the roasted garlic cloves from their skin and also added 5 anchovy filets.  Don’t skip those.  I whirled the whole mix until pureed.

I drained a 35 ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes reserving 1/3 cup of the juice.  I removed the seeds and added the tomatoes to the food processor then pureed the whole thing again.

I let the sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes and cooked the fettuccine in salted water while it simmered.

This was seriously good.  Enjoy!