Pasta in Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

[Din-din & my hand-embroidered doily!]

When you only get about three hours together every night before falling asleep (maybe 4 on the weekends), you learn to power-pair-bond. One of the ways we do this is cook together. Despite the small kitchen, it works, and it's just as good a time as any for talking or kissing. We made this a few weeks back, but it was so tasty, we took a pic. Here's the recipe:

Pasta in Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

2 onions, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 small red chile, chopped
2 tblsp olive oil
13 oz can peeled tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 tblsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
8 oz pasta (recipe calls for fettucine but we used what we had on hand)
5 fl oz cream

1. In a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan, cook the onions, garlic and chile in the olive oil over low heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper and other ingredients except for the pasta and cream. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened.

2. Put a large pan of lightly salted water on to boil for cooking the pasta. A small splash of oil in the water prevents boiling over. Boil the pasta while sauce is cooking, and when tender but still firm to the bite, pour cold water into the pan to stop the cooking. Drain noodles in a colander.

3. Add cream to sauce, stir and heat through without boiling. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve at once.