I attempted red wine pasta once before and while the dish came out tasty, I found no trace of a red wine flavor when it hit my mouth. Last night, after an afternoon spent browsing for recipes, I decided that I wanted to try this again. I had also accidentally left half a bottle of Malbec open in my kitchen overnight, so I thought I would put it to good use and incorporate it into my meal. After reading many many red wine pasta recipes, I settled on creating my own.

The result was once again delicious, but merely fun to look at when it came to the red wine factor. I tasted a hint of the red wine, but I was hoping for something a bit bolder. Regardless, this was a great dish that I topped off with sauteed brussels sprouts, shallots and garlic, toasted pine nuts, pecorino and a little lemon zest. I also thought it would be easier to eat this with confetti style brussels sprouts, but after a few bites I discovered that some of the larger pieces I tossed in created a much bigger flavor impact. If anyone has a great recipe for red wine pasta that results in a lot of flavor, I’d love to hear about it! Here’s how I made this…

1/2 lb spaghetti or linguine (I used quiona spaghetti)
1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts cut into quarters
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 large shallot chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 cups red wine
tsp of lemon zest
Shredded or shaved pecorino cheese to top with
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute brussels sprouts with salt and pepper over medium heat until softened and bright green- about 15 minutes. When finished, remove from heat, cover and set aside. Toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until they start to brown a little, being careful not to burn. Set aside. In a medium pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sautee shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes or until shallots art soft and translucent. At the same time, boil the pasta in water for half of the directed cooking time. When pasta is nearly finished, add the red wine to the shallots and garlic. Drain the pasta and mix into pan with wine, shallots and garlic. Bring to high heat until red wine is simmering. Cover for remaining cooking time. Uncover and let liquid thicken a little for another 2 or 3 minutes. Strain remaining liquid, making sure not to lose any of the garlic and shallots. Pour pasta, garlic and shallots into a bowl. top with brussels sprouts, pine nuts, pecorino and lemon zest. Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste.