Spaghetti with Peppers

There are many different theories on where and when spaghetti was invented. Popular history says that it was invented in China, and that Marco Polo brought the knowledge of this food to Venice. The spaghetti, Polo encountered (and presumably tasted) in the far east was made from either rice flour or hard wheat flour (long noodles made from both grains exist in eastern cookery). It is generally accepted that the variety of durum wheat known in Sicily during the Middle Ages was, like lemons and oranges, introduced by the Arabs. And that brings us to the pivotal part of the story.

Early in 1154, shortly before the death of Sicily's monarch, King Roger II, and about a century before the birth of Marco Polo, a court chronicler and geographer named Abu Abdullah Mohammed al Edrisi (or Idrisi) completed a detailed geographical survey of Sicily. The content of the resulting opus, known to us as The Book of Roger, encompassed not only Sicily but other regions as well. A casual observation in the Book of Roger mentions that in the Sicilian town of Trabia the inhabitants made a form of pasta from hard wheat, and that this product, shaped into long strands, was manufactured in large quantity for export to other regions. click here to know more about spaghetti.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti - 8 ounces, cooked in salt water and drained
Garlic - 2 tbsp minced
Olive or vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Green pepper - 1/2 medium, thin strips
Yellow pepper - 1/2 medium, thin strips
Red pepper - 1/2 medium, thin strips
Spinach - 1 cup
Black pepper * - 1/4 tsp
Parsley - 1/2 Tbsp chopped
Salt *

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add green, yellow, red peppers, black pepper and pinch of salt. Cook by stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender. Add pasta and parsley stir gently to combine all the ingredients. If you need more black pepper add it and toss well and cook for a minute in a low heat.

Sending this to Presto Pasta Nights,this week hosted by Daphne.