Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Peppers & Artichokes

If I had to be picky, I’d say the one place Italy disappointed was in the area of food. I know, I know, I must be crazy, right?

To Italy’s credit, I’ve never been a big fan of pasta. Even as a student, I’ve never “lived on” pasta, I much prefer potatoes. I love a good manicotti, but let’s face it, that’s more about the cheese than the pasta.

In Italy, I had pasta exactly twice, more out of a feeling of obligation than real desire. The first dish had tomatoes and roasted aubergine (which used to be “eggplant” until I moved to Denmark and decided I prefer its European name), but it didn’t even begin to appease until I’d buried it in freshly grated cheese. The second was a delicate spinach and ricotta filled ravioli with pesto and pine nuts, which was much better :)

I ate enough caprese panini and pizza margherita to last several lifetimes. It got so boring that I actually ate Indian three times… Indian, in Rome!!! Crazy!

But as a pasta averse vegetarian, my options were somewhat limited. Authentic Italian food isn’t like the Italian American food I grew up on, there was a lot of ham and guts. Yes, guts… like tripe, brains, intestines, and oxtail.

I’m feeling like maybe I haven’t given pasta a fair chance, so I’m going to give it another try and see if I can’t make friends. Of course, given my potato habit and the abundance of potatoes in Denmark, I’m not sure I need to make friends with another white food. But in most Danish restaurants, vegetarian = pasta so it wouldn’t hurt to learn to enjoy it now and then instead of just sulking and picking out the good stuff.

Tonight’s foray into pasta involved sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and artichokes in a creamy sauce finished with white wine.

Creamy Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Peppers & Artichokes