ALESSANDRO GIUNTOLI'S PASTA WITH RED WINE

Alessandro Giuntoli's Pasta With Red Wine image

Finishing pasta by cooking it for the final minute or two in stock is not all that uncommon. But simmering it in flavorful liquid for nearly all of its cooking time, almost as you would a risotto, is highly unusual. And when that liquid is red wine, you have a pasta dish that is an attention grabber. I had pasta in red wine at Osteria del Circo, an Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Its chef, Alessandro Giuntoli, recreated the dish after hearing about it from a friend. There are aspects of it that are quite splendid: the pasta takes on a fruity acidity, smoothed by the last-minute addition of butter, and a beautiful mahogany glaze. Mr. Giuntoli scents the dish with garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper, but the dominant flavor is unquestionably that of wine, so the kind that's used is important. His preference is a decent Chianti Classico, although I found that almost any fruity, lightly acidic red wine with character - like a lighter wine from the Cotes du Rhone or a decent zinfandel - will give good results. Also, for best results, use spaghetti. I experimented with other pasta shapes, but spaghetti does produce the best texture.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories pastas, appetizer, main course

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bottle red wine, like Chianti Classico
1 tablespoon butter

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water boils, salt it and add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, place oil, garlic and red-pepper flakes in another pot over medium-high. As soon as garlic begins to brown, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and carefully add 3/4 of the bottle of wine (a little more than 2 cups). Bring it to a boil and maintain it there.
When pasta begins to bend, after less than 5 minutes of cooking, drain it and add it to the wine mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, adding more wine a little at a time if the mixture threatens to dry out completely.
Taste pasta frequently. When it is done - tender but with a little bite - stir in the butter and turn off the heat. When butter has glazed the pasta, serve it immediately.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 851, UnsaturatedFat 24 grams, Carbohydrate 91 grams, Fat 32 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 15 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 778 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 0 grams