Red Wine and Pasta, together at last

The Italians have it right. I wanted to start this post with that sentence but really, it's care of some Serious Eats newsletter that I bring you this best week's recipe from that week long long ago, a recipe for Spaghetti All'Ubriaco, which they tell me is Italian for drunken spaghetti.. Yes! Spaghetti cooked in a mixture of half red wine and half water, then splashed with extra wine right at the end (among other added things).

Rrrrrrrrrrr....

I was so intrigued by the recipe and inspired by the poster's enthusiasm that when I got home after work the same day, looked at that whole wheat spaghetti displayed in this glass jar on my fridge, and this leftover wine I had on that there counter, it was a no-brainer.. I needed to combine this and that and check out what the fuss was all aboot.

I'm terrible at following recipes, I most always meddle and fix it to my liking, as is the case with the linked recipe.

2 cups water

2 cups drinkable cheap red wine, plus 1/4 cup, reserved/separated

2 person portion of whole wheat pasta (kamut, spelt are healthy too. I estimate, sorry! Maybe I need this spaghetti measuring tool to crowd up my gadget drawer.)

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, sliced

2 tbsp fresh parsley (I was out)

1 tbsp butter

olive oil on hand for splashing (in the dish, eh)

Start by lightly caramelizing the leeks in a bit of olive oil. Not sure how? Caramelizing happens when cooking something over low heat for a long time. This brings out the sweet nutty flavour of certain foods, so toss the leeks in a splash of olive oil big enough to coat but not drown, and let them sit over low heat in a pan until they change color and become increasingly delicious. Set aside, and by aside I don't mean in your mouth, not yet.

Oh... they were so plentiful before... caramelization: size < flavour.

Boil the liquids, add pasta and cook al dente, stirring often. Meanwhile, brown the sliced garlic in another splash of olive oil and the butter.

Drain the liquid into a bowl, marvel at the beauty of your cooked pasta, add the 1/4 cup of wine to the garlic in the pan, plus a generous portion of the red water. Turn up the heat so the mixture starts simmering, add the al dente pasta, the caramelized leeks and parsley, and toss the pan around until the liquid is absorbed.

Done! Add some shredded/grated cheese if you like. As usual, I did not.

Tv chefs have taught me that cooking alcohol abolished the alcohol content, but according to serious studies, alcohol added to a mixture and boiled for 15 minutes retains 40% of its alcohol content; another prime example that you can't believe everything you see on tv. With this newfound knowledge, I've decided this is one dish I'll be happy not to share with kids.

Taste? A tastesplosion in a major way.

This presentation has been brought to you by this wine and that pasta.