Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

 

I live in an area where I am surrounded by the most amazing fresh pasta!  Pasta is a vehicle for culinary exploration and one of my favorite finds is this Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce that I have fallen in love with.  Pasta is a heavy food in and of itself, so I love that this sauce is rich and decadent however tastes so fresh and is really easy to make.  I use this sauce to top my pasta but it makes a lot so then I use it on pretty much everything I eat for the rest of the week: chicken, shrimp, rice you name it.  This is an all around delicious, go-to sauce.

Parmesan, garlic and fresh basil paired with the roasted red peppers really make this sauce pop.  These fresh ingredients add a nice complexity and a different spin on pasta sauce.  For this recipe you can use whatever pasta you are craving.  Just prepare the pasta as directed and set aside.  To start the sauce, chop up an onion, the size really doesn't matter because it will be pureed.  If onions make you cry, like me, chop them as coarsely as you want.  Add the chopped onion to a skillet with minced garlic and butter.  I saute the mixture over medium heat to prevent the butter from burning.  I know the onion and garlic mixture is ready for the next step when the onions start turning a light, golden brown.  Coarsely chop the roasted red peppers and add to the skillet, stir until evenly heated.  Next transfer your mixture to the blender.  Before blending, hold onto the lid nice and tight or else you'll be cleaning red peppers off your ceiling for daysss.  Puree to your desired texture.  This recipe offers a lot of room for modifications!  

Transfer the roasted red pepper, onion and garlic puree back to the skillet with more butter.  The more butter the merrier, within reason!  Stir the butter and mixture until completely melted.
 

 

Add the chicken broth chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.  This is where your sauce can become your flavor masterpiece.  This sauce can be taken in so many different directions.  I have shared with you my favorite way but you can adjust it to fit your food mood!

 

Finally, add the parsley and marinated heavy cream, lactose free for your digesting pleasure!  The final product just looks creamy and wonderful. 

Once the sauce is done, dinner is ready!!  I used fresh pasta because I have no excuse not to.  There are a ton of shops right near my apartment where they are making fresh pasta, but whatever you have in your pantry will work just as well.  I was in the mood for a heartier pasta, so this time I used ziti.  I love how the ziti absorbs the sauce!  I topped the pasta and sauce with fresh basil and LOTS of parmesan. This recipe is simple but so delicious.  Chicken or shrimp goes really well with this sauce as well.  This is one of my favorite winter-time comfort foods and everyone can enjoy this recipe, lactose free or not.  Having a creamy pasta sauce is no longer off the table!  

Buying fresh herbs can be expensive and feel like a burden because when a recipe calls for only a teaspoon or tablespoon it just doesn't seem worth the purchase and feels so wasteful!  I love using fresh herbs so to justify this purchase I chop up all of the herbs that I buy and whatever I don't use I freeze in little ice cube trays with water.  You could use olive oil or butter if you wanted but I like the freedom of the water.  I just pop them in the microwave before I need them and drain the water.  There is about a teaspoon of herbs in each cube.  It is an extra step but totally worth taking the time to do!  Just label them and throw them in the freezer for another day!

Recipe Details:

Ingredients

12 ounces of pasta (choose your favorite) 
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2lb of roasted red peppers
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream (more to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil
parmesan cheese 

Cook pasta as instructed by directions and set aside.  Coarsely chop the onion and put it in a large skillet with garlic and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic for about 2-3 minutes until the onions become soft and start turning slightly golden.  Chop red peppers into large chunks and add to skillet, stirring until red peppers become hot.  Remove skillet from the heat once mixture is hot.

Transfer roasted red pepper, onion and garlic mixture into a blender or food processor.  Puree mixture until completely blended.

Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in the skillet and pour the puree into the skillet.  Add broth, salt, pepper, and chili powder into the skillet, stir until ingredients are evenly incorporated.  Next add the heavy cream and fresh parsley, gently mix together until heated.

Plate pasta and add as much sauce as desired!  Top with fresh basil and parmesan to taste!

Miracle Finds

In my lactose free kitchen I have a few essential items.  The ideas seem so simple but they have taken me forever to find!  My staple items are: lactose free milk, lactase drops, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and butter.  I have always liked using the lactose free milk that is found in many grocery stores but I found it limiting for when recipes called for heavy cream, whipping cream etc.  In an act of desperation one day I perused the internet and stumbled upon this magic potion that has changed my life, lactase drops ... 

These little drops pack a major punch in the war against lactose.  I did some investigating and they are not made of some crazy chemical (that I could find).  Lactase is actually harvested as a byproduct of yeast digestion, so the lactase is cultivated through a natural process.  I did not want to trade one problem for another by adding some new substance into my body.  I use the directions as listed and it works every time!  When using heavy cream or whipping cream I often double the dose, just to be safe.  It does take about 24-48 hours to "marinate your moo," but it will be worth the wait when you can make homemade whipped cream again.  I will be using dairy products that have been treated with these drops throughout many of my recipes!  I would be lost without them and although it does not look like a lot, a few drops go a long way! These lactase drops are the best $19.95 I have ever spent on Amazon.com!  I hope you enjoy this little secret as much as I have! 

Another little known fact that took me far too long to find out is that hard, aged cheeses have reduced amounts of lactose.  Many cracker barrel and Cabot products are actually lactose free and even say so right on the label!  How I missed this for so long I will never know.

Parmesan cheese is also another safe cheese!  Knock on wood, I have never had a problem with parmesan.  Often times when I am at a restaurant I will just have them substitute whatever cheese is on the meal for parmesan, it makes me feel very special I can have cheese on my plate like everyone else.  Never do I feel lonely at an Italian restaurant, parmesan heaven.  Butter also shockingly has trace amounts of lactose, and for anyone who knows me they know I LOVE butter so I use that freeeeely.  These are a few of my staple items I always keep in the kitchen that have allowed me to create many of the recipes I will be sharing!

About Me

Growing up, many of my favorite memories have been made in the kitchen.  My mother always prepared our meals at home so every bit of culinary skills I have learned, I owe to her.  I have always struggled with finding the right foods and recipes that agree with me but as I have gotten older and have been able to figure out what foods are best for me I have worked towards fitting them back into some of my favorite childhood meals.

One of my life mottos, as Ke$ha once said is, "we are who we are," and as much I accept myself for who I am, I am always striving to make myself and my life better.  One of the ways I do this is through food.  I love using food as a way to get friends and family together and to relax with a nice meal after a long day of work.  As I grow as a person I know I will grow as a cook and I am excited to see where this adventure takes me.

I try my best to use simple, local ingredients in my recipes.  There is no better ingredient than something fresh.  Sometimes the best way to have success in the kitchen is to keep it simple. Whether or not you are lactose intolerant, I hope that through my blog and my recipes you too will enjoy the food that I love to share with my friends and family and if you too struggle with lactose intolerance, that you will never feel left out at the table again!

Welcome!

Welcome to Lasso the Lactose!  For about six years now I have been lactose free and have been working to replace the dairy void in my life.  When I first decided to cut out lactose completely, I resorted to substituting with soy, almond, coconut and rice products, but to be honest they just aren't the same!  Before I was willing to admit that I was lactose intolerant, I used to have a bowl of ice cream every night for dessert but then a time came where I could no longer deny the truth.  Since then, I had been unable to replace that luxurious treat and many other favorite foods with substitute products.  Wanting to find the perfect lactose free treats, I decided to go on a culinary adventure to create my own lactose free recipes!  I refuse to stand on the side lines of deliciousness just because my body does not seem to want to cooperate.  One in every three people is lactose intolerant, so I am creating this blog to share the recipes and tricks I have learned that have allowed me to enjoy many of the foods I thought I would have to say good-bye to forever!