recipe-a-week # 15: spaghetti with tomatoes and peppers

I'm a little bit late with this recipe; the baby shower and visiting with my sister took up much of my time this week. Better late than never!

This is a delicious, quick meal. I chose it in order to use things up that I had on hand, so I ended up modifying the original recipe quite significantly. As you can see, when I made this, I didn't use penne. Or two tomatoes. And I added in some yellow and red pepper, because it was starting to soften. The original recipe, from Everyday Food is here, and is also in the May 2009 issue of the magazine. And here's my version:

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Peppers

6 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
12 ounces spaghetti (I used a mix of white and whole wheat)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced (or half of each)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup snipped chives

1. Place cheese in freezer. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium-high. Saute garlic slices for one minute; add peppers and saute until slightly softened. Add tomatoes and pasta water, and cook until tomatoes are softened, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Add pasta, chilled cheese, and chives to pot. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Enjoy!

I also wanted to share some bread trials for the best recipe ever with you. I tried making it with half spelt flour last week, and it turned out pretty well. The dough is quite runny and a little bit difficult to manoeuvre, but the bread turns out well. Nice and crusty, and the bread itself is a little bit sticky to the touch. I think I might try with 2 cups white, and 1 cup spelt next time, to see if that helps. Right now, I have a loaf on the go with 2 cups white, and 1 cup whole wheat. It turned out perfectly!

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend.