Fettuccine Pescara

A personal favorite of mine, this recipe was named after the Italian region Pescara. Created for a cooking class in Minnesota while working for the Marsh in Minnetonka. I wanted to create a pasta that was bold, featuring classic flavors of Italy, specifically southern Italy. The resulting recipe is very flavorful and also very healthy containing no cream or butter.


16 oz. Fettuccine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
14 skinned and seeded fresh Roma tomatoes chopped
1 cup canned roasted red bell peppers chopped
1/2 cup pitted and chopped calamata olives
3 cups tomato puree
1/2 cup red wine
3 tablespoons fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese (garnish)
adjust thickness of sauce with water as desired


Bring water to a boil in a stock pot, add roma tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Remove the tomatoes and place in a bowl of cold ice water to stop the cooking. While the tomatoes are cooling, cook the fettuccine. Place the pasta in boiling water and cook for approximately 7 minutes stirring frequently. Place the cooked pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to again stop the cooking. Place the cooled pasta in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, reserve.

Peel and seed the roma tomatoes and chop in medium size pieces (1/2 inch dice). Heat sauté pan and add the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Sauté the garlic to a golden brown, adding the roma tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, olives, tomato puree and red wine and cook for 20 minutes on a medium low setting. Add the fresh basil and season to taste. Adjust the thickness of the sauce with water if needed. Toss the fettuccine with the pasta sauce and cook for another 2 minutes or until the pasta is heated through. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 - 5
Recipe by Brian Johnson