Pepper Pasta Quick Cook

3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium shallot, very finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into very thin slices
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into very thin slices
1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into very thin slices
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
a pinch of red-pepper flakes
10 basil leaves, well washed and dried, coarsely torn
1 pkg spaghetti
freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain, and set aside.
2) Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in shallot, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add peppers, salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes, and cook, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in half of the basil.
3) Add the pasta to the pan with peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Transfer to serving platter. If desired, remove garlic, and discard. Garnish with remaining basil and Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Review: Oh, this recipe was more tedious than I made it. I didn’t devein the peppers. (Side note, I forgot to put orange bell pepper on the grocery list, so my pic is missing some color.) I also didn’t make my own pasta, which the recipe originally called for. It was a recipe involving making the pasta with bell peppers and it can be found here if you’re interested. We’re sticking to Dreamfield’s pasta and I also thought it might be overkill on the pepper taste! This was pretty yummy, though, and very filling. I really like cooking with butter and think it makes everything better. If anyone doubts the healthiness of my butter/oil intake, do note I recently tested my cholesterol. My LDL and triglycerides were well within healthy limits. My HDL (good cholesterol) was 74 - this is pretty high, which is a very good thing. :)