DRUNKEN TUSCAN PASTA

Drunken Tuscan Pasta image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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1 bottle Tuscan red table wine such as Rosso di Montalcino or Chianti
Coarse salt
1 pound perciatelli, bucatini, or spaghetti (dried long-cut pasta)
3 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1/4 pound deli-sliced pancetta (see Note)
3 portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
A couple pinches of red pepper flakes
4 to 5 cups chopped dark greens, your choice of chard, escarole, spinach, or kale
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a handful plus some to pass at the table

Steps:

Pour the entire bottle of wine into a large pot. Add water and fill the pot up as you would to cook pasta. Bring the wine and water to a boil over high heat. When the liquids boil, add salt and the pasta and cook to al dente. Heads up: you will ladle out some cooking liquid for the pasta sauce before draining the pasta.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, twice around the pan, then chop and add the pancetta. Brown the pieces until they are golden at the edges and transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the mushrooms to the EVOO in the same skillet, season them with the chopped rosemary, and cook until they are deeply golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO to the center of the skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the EVOO and cook them for a minute or so, then toss the mushrooms together with the garlic. Add the greens to the pan and season them with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg. When the greens have wilted down, add a couple of ladles of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the pan and cook for a minute to reduce it a little.
Drain the pasta well and add it to the skillet. Add the pancetta and a handful of cheese to the pan. Toss the pasta for a minute or so to allow it to absorb the remaining liquid. Adjust the seasonings and serve. Pass the extra cheese at the table.