Tequila-inspired Mexican Pasta

While making homemade ravioli the other day- I ended up with a little extra pasta, both a plain and spinach pasta. The easiest thing to do of course, is roll it out for back-up noodles, but as always, I wanted something slightly different. Recently I've had a craving for parpadelle pasta- it's simple a flat, ribbon shaped pasta. You'll see this often used with a hearty beef or boar ragu.

Our friend Hoss sent us a bottle of tequila as a thank you for the visit- Any time Hoss! We had eaten a lot of Italian food recently, so the ragu was not of interest, but the tequila was. My goal was to make a Mexican type of dish, incorporating peppers and the tequila. I think this was a success; and it goes well with a margarita too!

Of course- please feel free to purchase parpadelle pasta rather than making your own. And substitute other peppers - these are just what I had on hand. And don't forget the salt on the rim! Ahh to be fat and happy with 'cultural' food. Nice.

Tequila-inspired Mexican Pasta

Start a large pot of salted water for the pasta....cook pasta (parpadelle) accordingly, reserve a cup of the pasta water.

Sautee
1/2 spanish onion, chop into large pieces, 2x2
Olive oil

add, continue to sautee until edges begin to caramelize (want the peppers to retain a slight crunch when served):
1/2 red pepper, large chop
1/2 yellow pepper, large chop
1 roasted poblano pepper, large chop
1 tbls ground cumin
Fresh black pepper


Deglaze pan with:
1/2 cup tequila (remove the pan from heat when add alcohol!)

Add to the pan:
1 can of diced tomatoes
dash of chili oil or ground red pepper
4 tbls fresh oregano
2 tbls fresh parsley

simmer until warmed throughout.

Add your freshly cooked pasta to the pan, toss. Add a few spoons of pasta water to help give a little more moisture to the dish.

Top with a little grated cheddar cheese, or chihuahua cheese.