Recipe: Pasta with Red Wine Sauce

PASTA WITH RED WINE SAUCE

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1 pound spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 (750 ml) bottle red wine, such as Chianti
1 tablespoon butter

Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it.

Place oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large, deep skillet.

Add pasta to the boiling water; turn the heat under the skillet to high. Cook the pasta as usual, stirring.

As soon as the garlic begins to brown, sprinkle it with salt and pepper to taste and add three-fourths of a bottle of wine (a little more than 2 cups); bring to a boil and maintain it there.

When the pasta begins to bend, (after less than 5 minutes of cooking) drain it and add it to the wine mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, adding wine a little at a time if the mixture threatens to dry out completely.

Taste the pasta frequently. When it is done, tender but with a little bite, stir in the butter and turn off the heat. When the butter glazes the pasta, serve it immediately.

Makes 6 servings
Adapted from source: The Minimalist Cooks at Home by Mark Bittman