Bow-tie pasta in herbed red sauce

Well, I am a year older now.  27, to be precise. I had a good day with family , friends, good food and wine. And yes, a marathon run of  The Game of Thrones.

Strictly speaking, it was a great day. Did exactly what I felt like doing. But the problem is I didn’t feel like doing too much. It felt like this one was a birthday-in-limbo , in a transitional phase of life. I don’t know what it is leading up to. But you know there are certain times when you think something is changing, deep inside you? It was that kind of day.Well, only time will tell whats in store! 🙂

Never-mind, there was still a midnight cake by friends, an awesome gift by my husband and a delicious sweet made by my mom. A poppy-seed (khas-khas) delicacy. Till date, she has without fail made it on ALL my birthdays. The making is a long 4 hour process. Tedious, but its all worth it. I soon plan to learn how to make it and will put it up here.

For dinner we had made bow-tie pasta in an indulgent red wine sauce. Paired with some baked nachos with a mushroom-onion gravy and of course a few drinks.

The red sauce simmers for 30 minutes after adding wine, and by the time it is done, the alcohol cooks off and you are left with a robust sauce.

You will need :

• 4 cups uncooked bow-tie pasta
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 tbsp dried oregano, or to taste
• 1 tbsp dried basil, or to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine

Method :

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes till garlic has softened and turns translucent. Do not let the garlic turn brown as it will turn bitter. Reduce the heat.
2. Pour crushed tomatoes, stir and let it cook for 8-10 mins on medium heat.
3. Add salt, pepper, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes to the tomatoes. Stir the tomatoes well to incorporate the seasonings evenly throughout the sauce.
4. Then gently pour half a cup of red wine, stir the mixture thoroughly to let the wine work into the sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning/ red pepper as required.
5. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, with a heavy lid on the pot.
6. Meanwhile, bring 2-3 litres of water in a large pot, add a tsp of salt and cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes, or as per directions on the packet.
7. Once cooked, strain the pasta and hold it under flowing tap water to cool it down, to prevent over cooking from the residual heat.
8. Once the red sauce has simmered for 30 mins, turn off the heat and add cooked pasta to the sauce and gently stir a couple of times till all the pasta is covered with sauce.
9. Serve, with some grated cheese on top.

The red sauce is very flavorful and might be a little tangy for a few. Add a tablespoon of sugar to the sauce while cooking, to reduce the tangy-ness.

If you don’t want to use canned tomatoes, boil 4 tomatoes and skin them. Chop these tomatoes into small pieces and puree it coarsely. Adjust the salt and seasonings in the sauce as required.

This pasta in red wine sauce tastes excellent with garlic bread!

Enjoy a quick and tasty meal, even on a weekday night.