Drunk 'N' Onion Pasta

First, I have to admit to you all that I love Pasta. Who doesn't love pasta? It's a nostalgic comfort food for me and always has been. Growing up my mother swore pasta went with everything, literally everything. Hamburgers? Sure, lets have pasta as a side (usually in the form of Mac N Cheese). Oh, side-story: Growing up my mother LOVED to explore her...culinary...talents and test them on her children. Naturally. One time, in particular, she put together some horrendous concoction and when asked what we were eating, she'd kindly reply, "shit on a shingle". Indeed, it tasted like shit on a shingle. However coincidental that may have been, she actually made it several times throughout childhood. It was TERRIBLE. To this day I have no idea what was in it. I probably don't even want to know. Point of the story is she served it with pasta.

I've absolutely lost my thought...Oh, nostalgic pasta. In college, I was always cooking. Except for the first year when I was too busy eating chicken strips and fries four times a day in the dorms. Yes, I was a fat-fucker. So what, who cares. I grew out of it. You're welcome. I always loved to have people over and cook dinner. It was almost always pasta. In fact, I think the first time I had friends over for dinner I made fettuccine alfredo in my first college apartment for Kristi and Amy. I remember it being so thick - something went wrong and it ended up being fettuccine with alfredo gravy. Just this thick garlicy-cheesy mess. Let's be honest - that doesn't sound awful. Oh, it was like a fondue - more like I fon-don't. I've never been able to live that down, either. We still talk about it to this day. HPH, forever!

I keep losing my thought...basically what I am trying to get at is how much I love pasta. I just think it is a versatile ingredient that you can pair with anything. You can change it a thousand different ways and it's almost fail-safe in the sense that you can't fuck it up. And, with how far whole wheat pasta has come, you don't have to worry as much about carbs as you may have had in the past. When it comes to carbs, though, I haven't met one I don't like. They fill me up and make me happy. If all three of you continue reading this blog in the following months, you are sure to see a multitude of pasta recipes.

This particular recipe came to me one special evening when I decided to combine two of my favorite ingredients, drunk and onions. Everyone knows I love a good red wine drunk...ESPECIALLY if it's a $6 bottle of Yellowtail Pinot Noir. I just don't see the appeal in expensive wines. I have yet to reach that level of pretentiousness - stay tuned though, I feel it coming. The best part is, chances are, you have to purchase a new bottle of wine and since you only need half a cup, that means the rest is for you. So pour yourself a glass and SIP your way through, otherwise you'll be shit-canned by the end of it and will burn yourself - don't ask how I know. With the bottle now open, I decided to create a sauce inspired by my love for red wine from cooking staples that I feel like you should always have on hand: onion, canned tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and whole wheat pasta.

Drunk 'N' Onion Pasta

1 box organic whole wheat pasta - penne

2 cans organic low-sodium fire roasted tomatoes

1 whole white onion - sliced thin

1 carton baby bella mushrooms - sliced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

two clove garlic - minced

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup red wine - Pinot Noir

parmesan cheese to taste

salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan bring garlic and extra virgin olive oil to med high heat. Add sliced onions, season with salt and pepper, and let cook, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Next, add baby bella mushrooms and let cook for 5 minutes. Bring the heat to high and add wine. Let the alcohol cook off (usually 2-4 minutes) and drop heat down to low and let the onion and mushroom mixture cook low and slow for an additional 10 minutes. This is going to make a thick wine sauce in the bottom of the pan. Do not drain this off, it's going to be the base for the tomato sauce. Next, puree one can of tomatoes until smooth. Add to onion and mushroom mixture. Then, drain the second can of tomatoes and give the tomato chunks a rough chop so you're breaking down the chunks, but still keeping some tomato texture. Add to sauce mixture. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook low for an additional 10 minutes. (I know this sauce seems to be taking a long time, but it's worth it. Plus, you've been drinking wine the entire time, so chances are you don't have any clue how long you've been cooking.) Finally, stir in the sour cream. This helps to create a sauce and cuts through the acid of the tomatoes. Use reserved pasta water to thin the sauce out to the desired consistency. Drain the cooked pasta and toss with sauce. (For directions on how to cook pasta, please refer to cookingfordumbshits.org) Let it cook together shortly so that the sauce coats the past and the overall dish comes together. Serve and top with parmesan cheese.

By this time you should be drunk and starving. Enjoy!