Sweet pepper, generally in the shade of green or red, is ubiquitous in Malta in the summer months. This crop is native to central and northern South America and has been brought to Europe by the Spanish.

The vegan recipe below makes for a great pasta dish made with mostly local produce. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Sundried Tomato Pasta (serves 5)

Ingredients

• 2 large red bell peppers (500g total)
• 2-3 tbsps olive oil (40/60ml)
• 2 medium shallots (1/4 cup) finely chopped (onions work just fine)
• 6 garlic cloves finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 (600ml) cups unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tbsps nutritional yeast (14g)
• 3 tbsps Corn-starch
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 sundried tomatoes
• 500g pasta (linguine or other pasta of choice)
• Garnish:
  • vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
  • basil
  • Finely chopped sundried tomatoes (approx. 2 pp)

Method

1. Heat oven to 500F (260C) and roast the peppers on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes until charred.
2. Remove and cover with foil to steam for 10 minutes
3. Peel skin, remove seeds and stem
4. Cook pasta, drain, toss in some olive oil, cover with towel and set aside
5. While peppers are roasting heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until brown and soft. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. Transfer the sautéed garlic and onions to a blender together with the roasted pepper, almond milk, red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, corn-starch and sundried tomatoes. Blend until creamy and smooth. Season with more salt and pepper or nutritional yeast as desired.
7. Once blended place sauce in a skillet over medium heat to thicken. Once it reaches a simmer reduce the heat to low and continue simmering to desired consistency.
8. Combine sauce with the pasta. Serve with vegan parmesan, parsley, basil, salt pepper and olive oil.

Recipe by Michelle Galea, part of the Friends of the Earth Malta team. 

Every month we feature a fruit or vegetable that is in season, along with a fun fact or recipe idea. We are currently working on a project, ACT4CAP, highlighting the importance of citizen involvement in agricultural policy to ensure healthy food and protection of our agricultural land. This project is a continuation of our previous work that was done through the Citizen’s CAP project and Agrokatina.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This article reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project is co-financed by the  Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE) and the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisation.