Test Kitchen with Leslie + Pepper Sauce

Leslie Threlkeld and I can't have friends over for dinner during quarantine, so we did the next best thing — a virtual dinner party! I cook up traditional Italian manicotti and Leslie whips up her favorite pepper sauce over pasta while we talk family mealtime traditions, dream of going out to eat for tater tots and chips, and lament the cancellation of this year's Kentucky Three-Day Event. Keep reading for Leslie's recipe and in the meantime join us for our first Test Kitchen with Leslie & Margaret!

Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, the more colorful the collection the better
• 1 big sweet onion
• 1 can of diced tomatoes or fresh tomato or pre-made tomato sauce - whatever you’ve got!
• Garlic to taste
• Fresh oregano or dried Italian seasonings to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt ’n pepper to taste

How-to:

1. Slice peppers and onion lengthwise, like a thick julienne.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.
3. Sauté onion until they start to soften.
4. Add garlic and stir in with onion.
5. Add peppers, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until until the peppers start to soften.  
6. Add tomato, herbs, and red pepper flakes. Turn down the heat.
7. Simmer for a bit.
8. You can cook this down as much as you want. I prefer a little bite left in the peppers.

I like this poured over spaghetti noodles with fresh grated parmesan and a little Tabasco. It’s also great with eggs, stuffed in a taco, or paired with grilled chicken.