Sometimes life is a series of happy accidents. When I went to the nursery to buy my pepper plants for the season, I wanted to get more pepper plants as I always feel that I run out of peppers for the season. I was in search of a green pepper plant that would turn red so I could use the red peppers for pasta dishes. I love the flavor that roasted red peppers add to pasta dishes, they add a sweet depth of flavor to pasta dishes that a green pepper doesn’t.  Purple peppers that have turned red also work nicely in this dish and can be used to supplement if you don’t have enough Melrose Peppers.

I was at a different nursery than I normally buy my pepper plants from, and the selection was absolutely mind boggling. I had no idea there were so many varieties. I even bought a purple pepper plant. I had never heard of a Melrose pepper, but the tag said it would develop into a red pepper, so I bought 4 plants. Well to my surprise once the peppers started to grow, they were long crinkly looking and looked more like a cayenne or ghost pepper. I am thinking to myself what am I going to do with these things? When I researched them, I found out that they have a sweet pepper taste with a Scoville score of 0. According to my research they originated back in 1903 when Italian immigrants Joseph and Lucia Napolitano moved to Chicago, they brought seeds for their favorite sweet peppers they grew in Nocera Superiore, Italy. They planted them in the Melrose Park suburb, hence how they got their name. Their son Tom started selling the peppers at the farmer’s market gaining their popularity in Chicago home gardens.

Surprisingly the peppers go from green to red quickly on the plant, so here I was with all these peppers trying to figure out what to do with them.  In my research it seems that many people remove the seeds and stems and stuff them with cheese and cook them with a red tomato sauce.

But this was not my goal, I wanted to make a roasted red pepper pasta which I have enjoyed in the past.  So, I formulated this recipe using the Melrose red pepper in the place of actual red peppers, I was happily surprised that I could not taste the difference from the roasted Melrose Red Pepper and a Regular Red Pepper.  I have shared the recipe below, eat and enjoy.

Roasting Red Melrose Peppers:  Gently wash the red Melrose peppers and slice in half.  Use a spoon to scrape the seeds out.  Place the pepper halves skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Brush them with a light coating of olive oil.  Place the top rack of the oven 5-6 inches from the broiler burners.  Turn the broiler on high.  Once heated place the baking sheet with the peppers in the oven and check at 2 minutes, rotate the pan 90 degrees and cook for another 2 minutes.  You will need to keep an eye on the peppers as they turn dark quickly and the goal is roasted not burnt.  Remove from oven and let cook for use in recipe.

 What Pasta to Use:  A long flat pasta is preferred.  Fettuccine works best as it is designed to hold richer and heavier cream sauces.  It pairs well with the butter and half and half of this sauce.  In a pinch you can use linguine if that is all you have on hand.

Flavor of Red versus Green Peppers:  Green peppers also known as Bell or Sweet Peppers.  Provide a mildly bitter, vegetal or earthy taste.  They are not a hot pepper, Scoville scale 0.  Red peppers are a more mature Bell or Sweet Pepper.  That extra time on the plant allows them to develop more nutrients Vitamin A and C.  Red peppers also contain lycopene that acts as an antioxidant.  Antioxidants in the body help to fight against free radicals.  Free radicals that build up in the body have been linked to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  While health benefits are a great reason to eat them the flavor is the real bonus of a red pepper.  When a green pepper matures to red that bitter taste is gone, and it develops into a sweet, moist and flavorful vegetable great for cooking.