Okay, I admit it. I watch food network whenever I turn on my television. I don’t usually have much time to watch tv on weekdays, but during Winter Break I had nothing to do and I kind of ODed. Food networked aired this holiday Iron Chef America episode from a few years ago. It featured Rachel Ray (the annoying 30-minute meal chick) and Giada (the hottie from food network). I don’t normally take notice of Rachel Ray recipes, but pasta cooked in wine looked appealing. And I had boxed wine to get rid of.
This meal was actually inspired by multiple ingredients that needed to be removed from the fridge. Leftover pesto, half n half from chicken pot pies which I will blog about soon… I absolutely love basil pesto. For a while during the summer I would bring pesto based anything to potlucks. And I like the idea of pasta with the wine twist. Honestly, I don’t think it added much. Most of the wine flavor was not absorbed by the pasta and what remained was slightly bitter and peppery. It was yummy, but I think I could have replicated the flavor by tossing in some swiss cheese, more black pepper, or chopped bell pepper. And cooking with that much wine seems a little wasteful. But if you happen to have any fronzia lying around your kitchen, I’d recommend giving it a try.
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 cup pesto
- 2 cups frozen veges-i used peas and green beans
- 1/2 parmisian cheese
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp half n half
- 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- crushed red pepper
-Fill pot with a couple of bottles of wine. I cheated and added one bottle of French Rabbit and topped it off with water.
-Cook pasta as directed on package and set aside.
-In a heavy bottom pan, saute onions in olive oil ~5 minutes.
-Add garlic, and saute until garlic starts to turn golden ~2 minutes.
-Mix in veges and cook until warm and slightly tender, but not overcooked.
-Add pasta, pesto, and seasoning. Warm through on medium heat and serve.
