Red Wine Pasta
Pasta
often relies on other ingredients to add color. In this dish, however, the
pasta is the star. I once encountered a version of this recipe in a restaurant and
thought that color had been added to the pasta dough itself. But you can make
this magical burgundy pasta with whatever dried pasta is in your pantry.
Spaghetti is used in this recipe, but almost any pasta size or shape will do:
the concept remains the same. The wine adds an earthy fruit flavor to the dish,
and the simple addition of pine nuts, feta, and parsley brings another
dimension.
Makes 6 to 8 Servings
Ingredients
4
tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3
garlic cloves, diced
1 (750
ml) bottle light red wine,
such as
Beaujolais
1 pound
spaghetti or other pasta
1 cup
pine nuts
11/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
Juice
of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup
fresh chopped basil
Salt to
taste
Directions
Find a pan wide enough to hold
the uncooked spaghetti. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the pan on
medium-high heat and add the garlic. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the garlic
just starts to brown.
Add the red wine and 1 cup of
water, and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and reduce heat to a rapid
simmer. Cook the pasta until the wine has been absorbed, approximately 8 to 10
minutes (or according to your particular pasta’s instructions), stirring
occasionally.
Depending on the pasta you are
using, you may need to add up to 2 more cups of water as you cook. If the pasta
has absorbed the liquid but still isn’t quite done to your liking: add another
half a cup at a time until it is done.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons
of the butter in the last minute or two before the pasta is done. Remove from
the heat and toss with the pine nuts, feta cheese, lemon, and basil. Add salt
to taste.
How
To Bring It
serving it cold, you can just
refrigerate it after cooking and serve it as is up to 2 days later. If you are serving
it hot, save the feta, lemon juice, and basil for whenever you are serving it.
Cook the pasta fully and store separately; keep the pine nuts, feta, and
parsley in another container. To reheat, place the cooked pasta in a skillet
with a tablespoon of butter and bring back up to temperature, and then mix in
the remaining ingredients.
FRIDGE TO TABLE
Reprinted with permission from BRING IT! © 2018 by Ali Rosen, Running Press