Receta Red Wine Spaghetti with Spinach and Walnuts
I have a knack for buying exactly the right amount of food when we’re hosting guests. Everyone has their portions – maybe one or two people have seconds – and we have no massive amount of food to store. I think it is a great skill.
The Omnivore finds it a wee bit embarrassing. It makes the host look bad, he says, if not every single person at the table has the right to have a full dinner portion…again. Maybe he’s got a point. Maybe I just *think* everyone is satisfied when in fact, if we had more dinner, people would have seconds. I think not but who knows?
One thing I never under purchase or under provide is alcohol. Since I don’t drink I really have to way to gauge what a person might drink. And once a bottle of wine is open, it can’t stick around forever. This is my favorite recipe to use when I find myself with half a bottle or so of red wine. Boiling the pasta in the red wine imparts a warm and earthy flavor – be sure to use wine you would have consumed!
Red Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Spinach (adapted from Food and Wine, updated recipe from Branny Boils Over)
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 3 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
- salt
- 3/4 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 4 cups spinach
- 1 cup walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
Combine the water with 3 cups of the wine in a medium stockpot.
Add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, stirring often.
Drain, and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and season with salt. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine and the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the pasta and continue cooking to absorb most of the liquid. This will take about 2 minutes. Mix in the parsley, nuts, 1/2 cup cheese, and spinach.
Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve with additional cheese.
Thank you to Foodonthetable.com for sponsoring this event as well!