For quite a while now, I've wondered at the American fascination with all food Italian. Food Network seems to be dominated with Italian cooks, some sounding authentic some not so much. Consider that Germans constitute the largest ancestry group in America, and as of 2000 only about 5.6% of the population was made up of Italian origin. So guess which cuisine has caught everyone's fancy? Yup, IT food.

Over time, however, my taste buds have cleared up any confusion my brain might have had. And inasmuch as my limited knowledge of Italian food goes, I'm a fan. For our dinner last night, I chose to make the most common of them all - pasta.

This is whole wheat penne rigate in a roasted red pepper sauce with bay scallops. Easy, yummy, healthy. Hard to beat that.
I sautéed half an onion with 3 cloves of chopped garlic until golden brown, then added a jar of fire roasted red peppers (chopped). Season it with salt, oregano and red chili powder. Puree the mixture in a blender, then back to the pan. Adjust seasoning, add some parsley. Cook the pasta as per the package directions. Drain well and add to the sauce. Toss, top with a tiny bit of grated good parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
I served it with lightly sautéed veggies and homemade bread. Piacere!