Drunken Spaghetti - A 100th Blog Post

It's my 100th blog post!  I had totally intended to so something different - but it's not. quite. there yet.  Which is a bummer and I'm totally stumped - but I'm working on it.

One night I was watching 'Come Dine With Me Canada', which is a five episode show where five different people get together, each one throws a dinner party, and they all critique each other's hosting and cooking skills.

Basically it's my worst nightmare.

Not that I'm a crappy host or cook or anything, I just couldn't handle the trauma of being judged by strangers - the people I host and cook for are SUPER biased because they already like me.

And my cooking.

Anyway, one of the participants made this Drunken Spaghetti and I was thrilled by the whole idea.

I ran right over to the website and saved the recipe in my file, but I saw that Jessica over at The Novice Chef had made a Drunken Spaghetti of her own and decided that hers should be the one I should try. 

Because I totally trust her judgement.

So how do you make it???

Aren't you dying to know?

The recipe itself turns out to be INCREDIBLY simple.

Bring red wine and water to a boil in a large pot.

Before we go any further I should tell you that my camera, as of late, has decided that it hates my guts and has been taking the weirdest pictures.  Which is totally lame because I missed out on some great shots at Kay's wedding....  Gr.

Continuing, add in the spaghetti and cook to al dente.

Reserve some of that cooking liquid, drain the rest, and set aside.

Then, in a deep frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmery and throw in sliced garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is soft and fragrant.

Add in some fresh red wine and the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a boil.

To that, add the cooked pasta stirring well and cooking until the liquid's all absorbed.

Let's just pause for a second and admire that gorgeous color.....  It's beautiful.  Seriously.  I love it.

Then add the nuts, cheese, and a little more olive oil and toss.

Then devour.  Er, serve.

Don't be afraid to throw on a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano too!

The wine permeates the pasta and imparts a delicious flavour.  It was so easy to put together it could easily be served on a weeknight, but it's decadent enough that you could serve it to company or for a seriously romantic dinner.

Not that I have a lot of occasion for that last one.

And it's PER.FECT. for a 100th post celebration!

Anyway.  I HIGHLY recommend that you race right over to Jessica's blog for the recipe - tell her I sent you and that I say 'Hi!'.

Source:  The Novice Chef