pasta with herbed tomato cream sauce

SURPRISE!  I said I'd post some other recipes, but I never even posted this one from a month ago.  This doesn't excuse me from the other posts I promised, don't worry!

Go on, guess where I got this idea.  Yeah, guess.  

I bet you wouldn't say, "From lunch at the canteen at your office in Accra."  See, I knew you'd never guess.  

We have a lovely cook named Rejoice who prepares us a meal every day of the week.  After she served this one, I kept the name on hand and immediately googled it back at my desk.  She had a pretty good source.  Food Network.

Rejoice did it with mini chunks of chicken; the original's with shrimp; we found it lovely with no meat at all.

Behold, herbed creamed tomatoful tingle-spicy loveliness that bears repeating.  You can put in whatever protein you want - or not.  It's flexible that way.  Also, any pasta will do.  We used cavatappi but the recipe calls for penne.  I guess you want something with a hole in the middle where the liquid parts of the sauce can hide.  And speaking of sauce - next time I'm making more.  It was super tasty.

Pasta with Herbed Tomato-Cream Sauce

recipe adapted from Food Network

serves 4-6

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients:

1 pound penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

directions:

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot.  Add the pasta, cook until al dente, and drain.  This should be 8-10 minutes, but check your pasta's directions.  Get this started, set a timer and get going on the sauce.

Heat the olive oil over medium in a large skillet.  Cook the garlic until soft, 1 or 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, half the basil, half the parsley and all the red pepper flakes to the skillet.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  

Add the wine, stock and heavy cream.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low and allow it to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until it thickens.  Add half the parmesan, the pasta and the rest of the herbs.  Toss to coat the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining parmesan, and serve immediately.

Makes pretty good leftovers, too.