This is a simple tomato-based pasta sauce with wine, spinach and pine nuts. We tend to have open bottles of wine around, since we never finish them. One word of caution regarding the tomatoes: Since the sauce is based on them, they need to be ripe and sweet; otherwise the sauce will be lacking. Fortunately, tomatoes are just starting to come into season.
For 2-3 servings:
3 large tomatoes
2 small onions (or 1 large onion)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 red pepper
big handful of fresh spinach
lots of olive oil for frying
2 T red wine
salt
pinch pepper
pinch hot paprika
pine nuts for topping
Chop and fry the garlic and onion in lots of olive oil in a frying pan. Chop and add the red pepper, and then the tomatoes. Add the wine, along with some salt, pepper, and red paprika, if you like.
Occasionally add water when the vegetables look like they may begin to burn. This will make the consistency more sauce-like.
When the vegetables look smooth enough to be a pasta sauce, toss in the spinach, chopped. Let wilt, and then turn off the heat.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on high heat, stirring so that they brown but don’t burn.
Serve the sauce on pasta, and top with pine nuts.
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