Mediterranean Pepper, Olive, and Pastrami Pasta

I had a lot of turkey pastrami left over from the weekend, and somehow found a Mediterranean Pasta with pepper, onion, and olives recipe. This works as either a warm pasta dish or a cold salad - my version served 2 for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces ‘long’ dried pasta -fettuccine/rigatoni/...
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large bell pepper, sliced thinly
  (You will cut into thin strips about the length of your pasta)
• 1/2 onion, sliced thinly
  (You will cut into thin strips about the length of your pasta)
• Kosher salt and group pepper to taste (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of both)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (original recipe used 1 or 2 anchovies)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 40 gr olives (2 or 3 per person)
• 75 gr. (2.5 oz.) sliced pastrami
• 20 grams small capers, rinsed and drained (1 tablespoon or so)
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley / basil / … or 1 tablespoon dry

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta until tender but still al dente. For hot pasta dish, drain and reserve some water.
   (For pasta salad, rinse with cold water to cool pasta.)
2. While the pasta is cooking, cut bell pepper and onions into long thin strips about the length of your pasta. 
3. Saute the veggies in a sauté pan on medium heat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste while stirring as needed.
4. Slice the olives in half lengthwise and then into thin strips, also lengthwise. 
5. Slice the slices of pastrami into long thin strips to match the pasta.
6. Move the cooked veggies to a small holding dish.
7. Using the veggie cooking pan, make a dressing by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil in the sauté pan, and add the red pepper flakes and the crushed garlic cloves. Heat garlic and dried peppers on low for about a minute.
   (The original recipe used anchovies, but I did not have any on hand. I may not ever have any on hand...)
8. Assemble the dish - stir the drained pasta into the pan with the garlic dressing, stir in the drained pasta. Mix in the peppers, onions, olives, and capers.
   (For the salad version, place the cooled drained pasta in a medium bowl, and dress with the garlic sauce. Stir in the bell peppers and onions. Stir in the pastrami, olives, and capers.
9. Add a little extra-virgin olive oil or reserved pasta cooking water if you feel it is not enough sauce.
10. Sprinkle with a little black pepper to taste.
11. Sprinkle with a the freshly chopped parsley or basil.

Carole's Notes:

This was a nice light pasta dish for dinner. We liked it - we both like olives and capers, and peppers and onions are regulars in dinner.

Recipe is lightly adapted from http://www.lifeoutofbounds.com/2015/06/06/mediterranean-summer-pasta-salad-with-bell-peppers-pastrami-and-black-olives/