Rigatoni pasta – 200 gms (If you don't have Rigatoni, use any other short pasta like Penne, Ziti, Farfalle, Fusilli etc.)
Red Bell Pepper – 1, cut in half, seeded and cut into strips
Yellow Bell Pepper – 1, cut in half, seeded and cut into strips
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
Olive oil – ¼ cup
Onion – 1, large, cut into half-moon slices
White wine or stock or water – ½ cup
Sliced black olives – ¼ cup
Fresh basil leaves – ¼ cup, roughly torn
Unsalted butter – 1 tbsp
Parmigiano Reggiano or Cheddar – ¼ cup, freshly grated
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Fill a large pot with water, season generously with salt and bring to a boil.
In a large skillet, add all the olive oil and garlic and preheat it over medium heat. Cook it long enough for the garlic to become fragrant and lightly golden. Make sure to add the garlic in the cold oil itself and heat both together; this will infuse the oil with fantastic garlicky flavor.
Add the peppers and onions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook them covered for about 30 to 35 minutes under low heat until they have caramelized around the edges and become soft.
When the onions and peppers have about 10 minutes left to be completely cooked, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions, making sure to reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, drain well and set aside.
Add the white wine/stock/water (whichever you are using) to the peppers and deglaze the skillet. Allow it to reduce for just a minute.
Add the butter and let it melt. Now add the cooked pasta along with the olives, basil, parmesan and half of the cooking liquid.
Allow everything to cook together over medium high heat for just a minute stirring constantly until all the liquid evaporates. Serve hot right away!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2014/11/pasta-peperonata/