Szechuan Noodles

I had some leftover tahini from making hummus, and I decided it would be the perfect time to make this dish. I was so excited to try this because it's a recipe from Barefoot Contessa, and I've never been let down by her recipes. While this was a good one, I wasn't as impressed as I've been with her other recipes. Maybe I got my hopes up too high??? The dressing is so rich, and it filled me up really quick (maybe that's not a bad thing).
On the other hand, Aubrey came home really late from working and had a huge bowl of it. He loved them.



Ingredients:
Dressing
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (I used chili paste)
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad
1 pound thin spaghetti
2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), julienned
4 scallions, sliced diagonally


Directions:
Place the garlic and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the remaining dressing ingredients and puree until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator while preparing the pasta.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, transfer to a serving bowl, and while still warm toss with about half of the dressing. Add the bell peppers and scallions; toss. Add remaining dressing to taste and serve warm or at room temperature. (I only used 1/2 of the dressing)

Source: Annie's Eats... Recipe originally from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten