Chef notes
This pasta celebrates traditional Caribbean flavors. I love the rich and creamy homemade sauce that coats the pasta. This pasta is supremely delicious with shrimp, chicken or leftover brisket.
Technique tip: Cooking the pasta 3 minutes less than box directions ensures that the pasta is perfectly cooked and never mushy. The pasta will continue cooking in the sauce and as it sits.
Swap option: Use a different shape pasta such as rotini, malloreddus or manicotti.
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked penne pasta
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Roma tomato, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dry rub Jamaican jerk seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Jamaican-style yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- One 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups prepared harissa-braised brisket
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water 3 minutes less than box directions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bell peppers, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the jerk seasoning, curry powder, and red pepper flakes, coconut milk and half and half, and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese and brisket, and mix to combine (use some of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce, if necessary). Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt. Turn off the heat and garnish with the parsley and serve.
