Devil's Nightmare Pasta Sauce

Devil's Nightmare Pasta Sauce

With over 300 recipes in just over a year of food blogging, some readers might get the impression that all my time is spent in the kitchen. Well, there are days when it seems like that to me, and when those days come around, there's no simpler remedy than that time-honored friend of busy cooks, students and lazy people alike — pasta and sauce!

Even on the laziest days, though, I can't bring myself to emptying sauce out of a store-bought jar. And there's no need really, since there are plenty of pasta sauces that take no more time to prepare and make than it takes to bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta. That just happens to be enough time to do something really creative and unusual as well, to take the example of this striking banana and fruit juice based "devil's nightmare pasta sauce" — fire up the water to boil, and the sauce is ready from start to finish by the time the pasta is done.

As fond as I am of fiery foods, I cut the number of habaneros down from what was suggested in the original recipe in Clifford Wright's Some Like It Hot cookbook. And it was a good thing I did, since it was still "a hell of a hot meal," as Wright describes it. In fairness, I was forewarned to reduce the heat after the first thing I tried out of the book was so excruciatingly and painfully hot that I threw out the food, the recipe, and any notion of blogging about it. Live and learn. For those of you with less tolerance to heat than myself, I'd suggest using only one habanero, or substituting them with jalapeños instead.


Devil's Nightmare Pasta SauceDevil's Nightmare Pasta Sauce
Recipe by
Adapted from Some Like It Hot: Spicy Favorites from the World's Hot Zones
Published on April 6, 2008

Easy and super spicy tomato and fruit pasta sauce with bananas — a bold sauce for the very adventurous!

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 habaneros or jalapeños, seeded and minced
  • 2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
  • Heat a large frying pan or wok over just less than medium heat. When hot, pour in the olive oil, wait a few seconds, then swirl around the pan. Toss in the onion and red pepper and stir-fry for about 10 minutes, or until the pepper is soft and tinged with orange. Stir in the chilies and cook for another minute. Add the bananas with the orange juice and pineapple juice and cook, stirring gently, for 5 minutes or until the bananas are soft.

  • Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice, cilantro and Parmesan. Serve hot over your favorite pasta.

Makes 2 cups or enough for about 1 pound of pasta
Devil's Nightmare Pasta Sauce

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

A very interesting and easy to make sauce..

Mélanie said...

Wow!
What an unusual sauce you propose.
Look's pretty good.
:)

LisaRene said...

Very, very interesting. There is no way I would think of this combination on my own. Even if I did It wouldn't occur to me to put it over pasta. Love the name :)

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I actually stared at my pile of bananas, whilst making a quinoa salad today, but then thought no! This sounds like a better application for them. If you found it hot, then I would have to reduce the chilli by about a third, I think!

Lisa Turner said...

Holler, are you suggesting a quinoa salad with bananas? That would be worth researching.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

A very tropical pasta dish Lisa..although I'll bet the flavours mingled together well with the spicy habaneros:D

Johanna GGG said...

what an amazing pasta sauce - this I must try some time - but if it is too hot for you I will most definitely be reducing the chillis

Unknown said...

wow Lisa...banana and pasta what an unique combo.

Sara said...

That is really the most unique pasta sauce I've ever heard of! I'm not a fan of bananas, but I can imagine this would be quite good.

Laurie Constantino said...

Lisa, you get this week's award for most unusual food combination!

eatme_delicious said...

Wow this is really different! I would never have thought to make a pasta sauce with fruit juice and bananas. I'm very intrigued.

Lucy said...

Stunning flavours; unusual and very pretty. Lovely light in that last shot.

You! Stopped in your tracks because something was too hot?!!??

Wow. I'm impressed ;-)

Ruth Daniels said...

This really does sound like a perfectly heavenly dish. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

Phil Chouinard said...

This recipe sounds remarkably similar to something called "Pasta From Hell" made and served at a restaurant called East Coast Grill & Raw Bar -- the same folks who created Inner Beauty hot sauce (no, I don't work for them, I've just been using their recipe for well over 10 years now).