Fusilli with Caramelized Onions, Peppers and White Wine

One plus about visiting my parents, other than spending time with them, is that they get all the current issues of Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light and a few others. They usually the past few months issues in a pile stacked away waiting, knowing that when I get home that is one of the first places I'll go. Flipping through the pages, I saw this recipe and it was immediately added on my list of things to make.


I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE caramelized onions. When I was younger, I remember my mom used to make them when she made steak and I could each the entire pan if I wanted to. It was do delicious that the steak didn't really matter to me. When I saw this recipe and I saw the onions, it was my next meal. It's really simple and the crunch from the toasted panko bread crumbs is perfect. I had to hold myself back from eating the panko and onions before I started making the sauce and pasta. The original recipe doesn't have bell peppers, but I thought that this dish could use some color so I grabbed my bag of bell peppers out of the freezer and tossed them in last minute.

Here's the recipe:

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 cups thinly sliced onions

1 cup sliced bell peppers (I used Trader Joe's Mélange á Trios)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

8 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta

1 Tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine panko, 1 teaspoon garlic and a dash of salt in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread panko mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes or until golden brown, stirring after 3 minutes.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onions to pan and cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

 4. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and wine. Increase heat to medium high and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bell peppers and cook for about 4-5 minutes until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup

5. Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt according to package. Drain. Add pasta, remaining salt and pepper to onion mixture; toss gently. Place in bowls and sprinkle each serving with panko mixture.