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Red Wine Spaghetti with Bacon, Sweet Peas, and Parmesan
What do you make when you have half a bottle of red wine to use up and no fresh vegetables in your fridge? Red wine pasta, of course! This is a unique, but delicious dish I whipped together based around what I had available for a last-minute dinner. The bitterness of the red wine is perfectly complemented by the sweet peas, the salty, crispy bacon, and the rich parmesan. Since the pasta is cooked in the red wine itself, it turns a beautiful maroon color that makes the bright green peas really stand out. If you're looking for a super simple, but equally impressive dish, this is the one!
Start by dicing half a white onion and mincing two cloves of garlic. Take about six strips of bacon, and cut them into lardons (little strips).
Add the bacon to a cold frying pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Starting the bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render out, rather than burning. This also results in crispier bacon.
While the bacon is cooking, combine the red wine, water, and a generous portion of salt to a pot and start bringing it to a boil.
The bacon will take around 20 minutes to cook. Don't rush it! The longer and more slowly it cooks, the more fat that will cook out and the crispier the bacon will be. Once the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and leave the fat.
If there is more than 1/4 cup of fat in the pan, remove some of it (you can save it to fry eggs, make hash browns, etc.) Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook for about 8 minutes until softened and translucent, adding the garlic for the last minute.
While the onions cook, add the spaghetti to the boiling red wine mixture, stirring often.
Once the pasta is done, transfer it to the onion and garlic mixture along with a few ladles of the pasta cooking liquid. Just use a pair of tongs to move the spaghetti right out of the wine to the hot bacon fat and onions - don't rinse it! Stir around and add in the bacon, peas and parmesan. Use your judgment here- if the sauce becomes too thick, add some more pasta water.
Serve up this rich, decadent pasta in big bowls with some black pepper and a touch more fresh parmesan on top.
Recipe:
Total Time: 30 minutes| Serves: 4
Ingredients:
6 strips of bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
1/2 white onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups dry red wine
Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1. Scatter the strips of bacon in a large frying pan and then place the pan on the stove. Turn the heat to medium low and let the bacon slowly cook. This will make the bacon extremely crispy and also render out all of the fat.
2. While the bacon cooks, combine a BIG pinch of salt with 6 cups of water and 3 cups of red wine in a big pot and bring to a boil. The salt should be enough to actually make the water and wine taste a bit salty.
3. Once the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan, leaving behind all the bacon fat. At this point, the water/wine mixture should be boiling; add the pasta and stir, cooking for about 6-8 minutes until it's al dente.
4. While the pasta cooks, turn the heat up to medium and add the minced onion to the hot bacon fat. Saute the onion until it starts to caramelize, then add the garlic and saute for another minute.
5. Remove the pasta from the cooking liquid with tongs (so you don't have to discard the cooking liquid) and add it to the pan with the cooked onions and garlic.
6. Add 3-4 ladles of the pasta cooking liquid to the pan as well. The cooking liquid makes a flavorful, light sauce for the pasta. Add the bacon back to the pan, as well as the peas, and toss everything together with the pasta.
7. Just before the pasta is done, add the parmesan cheese to the pan and toss until the cheese coats all of the pasta.
8. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese and black pepper over the top!