Rigatoni with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Directions

1. Roasting Peppers
2. To roast peppers I like to use my grill set on high. I place the peppers on the grill and close the cover, turning the peppers as the sides closet to the fire blacken. Once the peppers are completely blackened remove them to a double lined paper bag, close the bag and allow to steam and come to handling temperature. Once they are cool enough carefully remove the skins and seeds.*
3. If you don't have a grill place them on a sheet pan and place under your broiler turning as they blacken. Again once blackened place in a paper bag.
4. Or you can place on a sheet pan and roast in oven on high, turning again as they blacken and then allow to steam in the paper bag.
5. By placing the peppers in the paper bag allows them to steam and loosen the skins making it easier to remove the skins. But whatever you do DO NOT RINSE THEM UNDER RUNNING WATER! You'll rinse off most of the taste.
6. Red Pepper Sauce
7. Take the butter and Olive oil and bring up to medium high heat. Add the onion , garlic and sauté until onions are softened. Once softened remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. You can at this point use any number techniques. A one pot method with an immersion blender or in a food processor will work just fine.
8. Add the sautéd onion and garlic, the roasted peppers and about one cup of stock together. Blend and if it looks too thick add more stock until you have a sauce with a consistency that you want. Put into a sauce pot add the pepper flakes and bring up to heat.
9. In a pot with well salted water cook the pasta. Once cooked, drain well and put back in the pot over medium heat. Add ½ cup of the sauce and stir to combine allowing the pasta to soak up the sauce.
10. Serve with additional sauce over the pasta and Parmesan on the side and a sprinkling of parsley for garnish.
11. If you want you can add a little extra flavor to your sauce. Try a little chiffonade of fresh basil or some dried oregano .
12. *If you don't have large paper bags available find any large tupperware with tight fitting lid, and place a layer of paper towels on the bottom and seal tight and allow the peppers to come to handling temperature, but whatever you do don't use plastic bags as they will melt on to the peppers and render them useless.