Serves6 to 8 (main course)
- Active time:25 min
- Start to finish:45 min
June 2008
If the famed Italian-American noodle took a trip to the Southwest, it might come back looking a little like this. With a creamy sauce and a duo of chiles that adds smoke and spice, this pasta is packed with flavor.
-
1
large onion, thinly sliced (2 1/4 cups)
-
1/2
lb
fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced lengthwise
-
2
tablespoons
olive oil
-
1
cup
chopped bottled roasted red peppers
-
1
lb
ziti or penne
-
1
tablespoon
chopped canned chipotles in adobo
-
1 1/2
cups
sour cream
-
1
cup
chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)
-
1/4
cup
chopped cilantro
-
Garnish:
raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (
pepitas),
toasted
-
Cook onion, poblanos, and 1/2 tsp salt in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, cook ziti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain ziti.
-
While ziti cooks, purée chipotles with sour cream in a blender.
-
Add purée to onion mixture with scallions, cilantro, 1/4 cup cooking water, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add ziti and toss, moistening with additional cooking water if desired. Season with salt.
Serve with: green salad