Friday, May 6, 2022

Umbrian Red Wine Spaghetti and a Book Review #ItalianFWT

I am so excited to partake in this month's Italian Food Wine and Travel event.  When Jennifer of Vino Travels announced that she was featuring the wines of Orvieto, I had just ordered up the biography written by Marlena De Blasi titled The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club.

Book Cover

Orvieto is an Italian Wine region located in Umbria and neighboring Lazio.  It was the perfect read as I got ready to choose a wine and a meal to share with our group this month.......
This book follows the life of Marlena; restaurant critic, chef, journalist, author, during the time she moved from her busy life to the quiet, rural area of Umbria where she and 4 other women gather together each Thursday evening in a little stone house located in the hills above Orvieto.

During these gatherings these women share food, wine and their stories with Marlena and she in turn shares them with us.  It is a wonderful, warm and touching story of friendship sometimes tainted by mistrust and past hurts.

Marlena expertly and kindly portrays the women and the men in their lives in a way that makes you feel like you, too, are a longtime friend who has sat around sipping wine and sharing secrets while enjoying simple, rustic recipes like the one I am sharing with you today.

Wine

Orvieto is best known for it's white wines and I had purchased a bottle for this event prior to reading the book.  After reading the book, I knew that I wanted to make the Red Wine Spaghetti that was such a comfort food to all who partook.

That meant I needed a red wine from Orvieto.  I waited for a bit because we were supposed to get samples for this event. However, there were delays so I went onto wine.com and ordered up 2 bottles of the Sportoletti Assisi Rosso, a Tuscan blend from Umbria.

They shipped immediately and I decided to make the Red Wine Spaghetti on the day they arrived.  I had never heard of cooking the pasta in wine prior to reading this book but let me say.....I will be making this dish again and again and again. 

The Rosso is very dry and I was glad that I had ordered two bottles because I loved it and had used half of the bottle for the pasta leaving us with just a glass each to enjoy for dinner.  It didn't take us long to open the second bottle to enjoy while conversing after dinner.

Red wine Spaghetti

The pasta is scrumptious.  It is spaghetti aglio e olio cooked in wine with lots of butter and cheese added.  I was swooning and I cannot wait to make this again.  The pairing was, of course, wonderful and I am anxious to see what wines I receive as sponsor gifts because if there is a red in there....this dish is doing a repeat.

Please join us tomorrow, Saturday, May 7 at 11 AM ET as we further discuss the Orvieto wines that we tasted and perhaps paired with a meal.  Jennifer will be leading us in twitter chat and you will find us by following #ItalianFWT.  Here are the topics we will be discussing.......




Entrees, Pasta, Meatless, Vegetarian
Entrees
Italian
Yield: 2 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
Red Wine Spaghetti

Red Wine Spaghetti

Imagine spaghetti aglio e olio cooked in wine with lots of butter and cheese added.
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 t. olive oil
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 stick butter, divided
  • 1/2 bottle of red wine
  • kosher salt
  • 8 oz. dried spaghetti
  • grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and 1 Tablespoon of the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant and just beginning to brown.
  2. Add the wine, increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt, cover and turn heat to low.
  3. Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 3 minutes less than the time recommended for al dente.
  4. Drain pasta and add to the wine reduction, increase heat and bring wine to a simmer, cooking the pasta further. Dice the remaining butter and add to the pot, tossing and cooking until pasta is at desired tenderness and sauce has thickened.
  5. Divide between two shallow bowls and generously sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Inspired by The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club

Nutrition Facts

Calories

912.29

Fat (grams)

35.61

Sat. Fat (grams)

18.11

Carbs (grams)

92.94

Fiber (grams)

3.75

Net carbs

89.2

Sugar (grams)

4.27

Protein (grams)

19.89

Sodium (milligrams)

557.07

Cholesterol (grams)

73.79

14 comments:

  1. First, I am ordering this book. Second, I am making this spaghetti. Love this post.

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  2. Love the way the book, recipe and wine are integrated in this post. I can see how you enjoyed all three!

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  3. That is such a cool pairing Wendy! I want to go read the book now. There's not many Umbrian specific cookbooks it seems, so this is a great alternative!

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  4. I can't wait to dig into this book - thank you for sending it to me! - and to try your recipe. It sounds so simple and yet so wonderful. Hope you are having a great vacation.

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  5. This recipe sounds amazing! I can't wait to make it! The book sounds like it should be on my summer reading list!

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  6. Pasta cooked in wine? Sounds interesting and per your recommendation something to try. I like how you featured a red wine from this region vs the standard whites.

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  7. Hi Wendy, Claudia here, this site is not letting me comment other than anonymous. The book, the wine and recipe all sound great!

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    Replies
    1. I am not sure why this is happening to some of my readers and not others and I'm not sure how to fix it. I will have to try to figure it out. Thanks for letting me know Claudia.

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