Whole Wheat Spaghetti With Bell Peppers and Red Wine By Tikuli Dogra

Tikuli Dogra is an internationally published poet, author and blogger from Delhi whose work has appeared in print and online literary magazines includingLe Zaporogue, MiCROW 8, The Smoking Book (Poets Wear Prada Press, US), Life And legends, Levure Littéraire 10, The Enchanting Verses Literary Review, Open Road Review, Cafe Dissensus, Mnemosyne Literary Journal, Dissident Voice, Women’s Web, Tuck Magazine, The Criterion, Peregrine Muse, Knot Magazine, Asian Signature Magazine, The Bombay Review, The Thumb Print – A Magazine From The East, The Peacock Journal and The Peacock Journal Anthology, TEKSTO- The People’s Magazine, Guntur National Poetry Festival Anthology, Melange – a Potpourri of thoughts, Le Zaporogue Print editions and the much acclaimed Chicken Soup For The Indian Romantic Soul (Westland). Her debut poetry book, Collection of Chaos, was published in 2014 by Leaky Boot Press. Her second book of poems Wayfaring was published in 2017 by Leaky Boot Press. Her third book of poms Duets, written in collaboration with James Goddard, was released in November 2018. She blogs at tikulicious.wordpress.com

 

Here comes the recipe in her own words —

 

I love whole wheat pasta and often make it when I crave for a meal in jiffy. It is wholesome complete meal and one can be creative with it by changing the ingredients as per the mood of the day and the season. Packed with nutrition, this pasta, made from durum wheat, is any day better than the refined pasta. It has more dietary fiber too. Spigodoro wholewheat pasta and spaghetti are made from 100% organic whole wheat. The taste is sublime and it can be paired with any kind of sauce.

The market is flooded with juicy vibrant sweet bell peppers these days and I decided to do a variation of spaghetti using garlic cloves, tomatoes, and red and yellow bell peppers. I sometimes add chicken breast/ Italian sausages, even our every desi kebabs to it. The secret ingredient in this dish is the red wine. I had an Argentine Trapiche Reserva Malbec lying at home and used it liberally. It tastes uniquely delicious. The wine has a rich ruby red color and a sweet long lasting aftertaste. It was experimental but exquisite pairing.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • Whole Wheat Spaghetti – 250 gm
  • Sweet Bell Peppers – 1 Red 1 Yellow (Medium Size)
  • Tomatoes – 4 Large Plum Tomatoes or 2 Large Tomatoes + Half Cup Fresh Tomato Puree
  • Garlic Cloves – 4-6 (Large) (Slow Roasted)
  • Red Onion – 1 Large
  • Mixed Dried Herbs  – 1 Teaspoon (Optional)
  • Fresh Cilantro/Coriander Greens –  1/4 Cup (finely chopped)
  • Fresh Thyme – 1 Teaspoon
  • Olive Oil – 2 Table Spoon
  • Salt and freshly crushed Black Pepper – To Taste
  • Red Wine – Your favorite 🙂 About 100 -150 ml
  • Cheese – Your Favorite ( I used Britannia Cheese but I normally prefer feta cheese with this)

Method :

  • Whole wheat Spaghetti takes a little longer to soften. Boil the spaghetti in a big pot of boiling water with a little salt  and a few drops of olive oil  and cook as instructed on the pack or till al dente. Once done strain the spaghetti and rinse under cold water so they don’t stick together. Keep a bowlful of the starch water from the spaghetti to use later in the sauce.
  • As the spaghetti cooks, prepare the sauce.
  • Wash, de-seed the bell peppers and dice them in thin slices or small cubes.
  • Dice onion in thin half moon slices.
  • Dice 2 large tomatoes in cubes ( discard the seeds if you wish)
  • Puree rest of the tomatoes.
  • Slow roast the cloves of garlic. (You can drizzle the garlic cloves with olive oil, cover them in foil and roast in oven for 30 minutes or till the center of the clove becomes soft. It will fill your home with a delicious aroma. Garlic is very healthy so use it generously in your cooking.  This time I just roasted them with skin on slow fire and pounded them in a pestle and mortar along with some black peppercorns. Remember , it is a meal in a jiffy and I was very hungry.)
  • Now that our ingredients are ready, take a large frying pan and put it on medium heat. Add olive oil, let it heat a little then add some crushed peppercorns and pounded garlic. Let it sweat till it becomes slightly golden.
  • Now, add the onion and let it sweat along with a little salt. Once the onions become soft and translucent add the bell peppers and stir. We don’t want the bell peppers to become mushy so stir them till they become a little crisp (If you use green pepper too then remember it will take  more time to cook so put it first) .
  • Once the peppers are cooked a little add the tomato puree, more salt and pepper, coriander greens, thyme and give it a good stir. Add tomato cubes now so that they retain their texture.
  • Add some of the starch water you saved earlier and let the mixture cook for at least 5-10 min on medium heat.
  • Once done add the wine. Don’t forget to keep sipping the wine while the meal is cooking. 😀
  • You can add/reduce the quantity of wine as per your taste. It is also optional. The dish will taste awesome even without it.
  • Cook for another minute and then add the spaghetti to it and stir so that the sauce covers every inch of the spaghetti or pasta if you using that.
  • Serve hot with sprinkle of grated cheese or crumble of feta cheese. Don’t over do as it will kill the flavours.
  • Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint or coriander. Enjoy this delicious colourful meal any time of the day.

Note:

  • If you are adding veggies to the main dish (mushrooms or spring onions) add them before adding the tomato puree.
  • Same with sausages or chicken. Prepare them in a different skillet or pan and add them before the tomato puree.

 

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