Andouille Red Pepper Pasta

A few months ago, I asked for your vote for the What’s Up Media Best of 2020 awards. The results came in and you all voted The Bell House Catering as the Best Caterer of Annapolis! I can not thank you enough for your votes and I am genuinely grateful for your continued support over the last couple years. There is a ton of talent in the Annapolis area and without my support team, I wouldn’t be able to work next to that talent in this industry.

The food industry can be grueling at times. There are long days on my feet hunched over a table chopping and slicing, piles of dishes, feeling as if the smell of grease or smoke will never come out of my skin or clothes, burns on my hands/arms, forgetting to set a timer and ending up with a tray of bacon dust, even more dishes, equipment breaking down hours before I have to head out to for a job, so many math calculations, trying to find my mixer paddle only to realize it must have ended up in the trash because I’ve turned the kitchen upside down looking for it, so many dishes, keeping up with social media trends to promote the business, setting up and visiting local businesses in hopes to make business connections, not remembering the last time I didn’t have my hair in a ponytail, praying every client that comes through the door leaves happy, trying to find time to keep my creative juices flowing to develop new dishes, and did I mention there are a ton of dishes………

However, even with all the things that drain every ounce of energy from my body and mind, it’s moments like this which make it all worth it and help me stay focused on the business I am building. I look forward to the day I have a healthy amount of staff and The Bell House becomes a local household name. Proceed as if success is inevitable, right?!

Your support also helps me remind my kids perseverance, dedication, grit and hard work will pay off. People will recognize your efforts and support you in your endeavors. There are hard days and there are great days. There are moments I walk into my kitchen, look around and the feeling of “I did this” washes over me, giving me a soft place to land those hard days.

I can not thank you enough for your support and hope this recent recipe installment inspires you to get cooking. If you are ever in need of a Best of Caterer, I am only a phone call, email or DM away!

ANDOUILLE RED PEPPER PASTA:

5 -6 large red peppers (or 16 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped)

1 pound of Andouille Sausage, sliced into rounds

1 cup of white wine or dry vermouth

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream or half and half

Nutmeg, grated, about a teaspoon

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Parsley, roughly chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 pound box of Penne Pasta, cooked per package directions

If you choose to roast your own peppers, there are a couple ways to do so. If you have a gas range, just place the peppers directly on the grate over the high heat and turn the peppers as they char. You can also turn the broiler on high and place the peppers on a baking sheet and turn as the peppers char.

Once the peppers are nice and burnt, put them in a bowl and cover with foil. Let the peppers sit for about 5 minutes before removing the skin, cutting them in half, seeding them and give them a rough chop. Set aside the peppers and prepare the pasta based on the box directions.

In a large saute pan, crisp up the andouille sausage.

Remove the sausage and degrease the pan with the white wine or dry vermouth.

Are you thinking, why dry vermouth? I like to keep dry vermouth on hand because it has a longer shelf life than an open bottle of white wine. I am more of a red wine fan and very rarely have white wine on hand anyway. Dry vermouth does add a lot of flavor to any dish you would use white wine.

When the wine has reduced, 2-3 minutes, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Toss in the roasted red pepper and the heavy cream. After about 1 minute, transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender. Blend until the sauce is cohesive. BE CAREFUL, contents will be hot.

Pour the sauce back into the saute pan, add the andouille, grated nutmeg and the cheese. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

After about a minute or when the cheese has melted into the sauce, toss in the cooked pasta and parsley.

Add a salad and enjoy a quick, easy and flavorful meal.