Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten's Szechuan Noodles

Ingredients

• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and 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 wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
• 4 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

Directions

1. 1

   Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil, and ground peppers. Puree the sauce.

2. 2

   Add splash of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the spaghetti al dente.

3. 3

   Drain the pasta in a colander, place it in a large bowl, and while still warm, toss with three-quarters of the sauce.

4. 4

   Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well.

5. 5

   Serve warm or at room temperature.

6. 6

   The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

7. 7

   Don't combine the sauce with the pasta until the last minute; the soy sauce tends to break down the noodles and make them mushy.