Colombian-Style Spaghetti: Spaghetti con Salsa Criolla

We were planning a dinner with some friends a few months ago. And it turns out, one of them is not much of a rice eater and prefers bread and pasta. Being asian, bread is nice as a side but not as the main carbohydrate. Especially for dinner (it is still alright if it were to be for breakfast or lunch).

Therefore, along with a few other dishes, we decided to cook a colombian-style spaghetti. There are many different types of south american pasta variations. But we decided on this one as it was easy and cheap to prepare. We made a mistake by using instant spaghetti though (as the normal one was out of stock). This made the dish a little sticky as instant spaghetti cooks faster than normal spaghetti. We recommend using normal spaghetti for this dish.

Spaghetti con Salsa Criolla is a one dish meal that is refreshing and light on the palate. It is the heavy tasting grated cheese that you put on top that makes the difference. Paired up together, its taste is deliciously smooth as the cheese provides a good zing on the rather neutral tasting spaghetti.

Spaghetti con Salsa Criolla

Ingredients:
-5 red bell peppers (capsicums), deseeded and roughly chopped
-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
-2 large onions, roughly chopped
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon dried oregano (we prefer Mexican oregano but the European one is fine too)
-2 teaspoons salt
-2 teaspoons black pepper
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-500g spaghetti
-500g (or more, up to you) shredded hard cheese such as Parmesan or Romano

In a deep dished non-stick pan, fry the bell peppers, garlic, onions and vegetable oil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes to half an hour. The mixture should be soft by then. Add the cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper. Stir for another 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. Pulse till smooth in a blender or food processor and set aside. Give the pan a good wipe.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package's instructions. But remember to keep it al-dente. Drain the pasta and RINSE IT. This sauce accentuates the starch in the pasta so this step is crucial if you do not want an overly starchy dish. Return the sauce to the pan and pour the drained pasta over it. Toss the pasta and allow it to sizzle a little on high heat. Turn off the heat and transfer the spaghetti into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle liberally with cheese and serve. We recommend a little more cheese than you think is adequate. Do not be fooled by our picture. It was not enough cheese.