Red Wine Spaghetti

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Peanut butter and I recently visited a restaurant serving a bright red spaghetti that was flavorful, salty, and down right yummy. It didn’t occur to me right away but the chef was able to create a bright red spaghetti noodle by boiling the pasta in red wine. Genius! After a bit of searching, we found a recipe from Food & Wine that seemed worth trying. The recipe below is our adapted version.

What you’ll need
5 cups water
3 1/4 cups red wine (and some to drink, of course)
Salt
3/4 lb spaghetti noodles
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (if you like spice)
1/3 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

What to do

1. Combine the water and 3 cups of the red wine in a large pot over high heat. Add a healthy dose of salt (~1-2 tablespoons)
2. Add spaghetti and boil until al dente. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the boiling liquid.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil
4. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant (~1 minute)
5. Add 1/4 cup of red wine and 1/4 cup of reserved boiling liquid; bring to a simmer
6. Add noodles and stir until liquid is absorbed (~2 minutes)
7. Add basil, pine nuts, cheese, and 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss until combined
8. Serve with extra salt, pepper, and cheese to taste. Garnish with basil leaves.

Now we eat!