Pasta alla Manziana

I created the sauce for this dish when living a few weeks in Manziana, Italy and thus the name. This happy accident is delicious and garnered a rare "ridiculously good" from Nathan. So before I forget what I did, here is the sauce for Pasta alla Manziana:

• Using the olive oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes if possible (about 2 Tablespoons), sauté a clove of fresh garlic. 

• Deglaze the pan with 1.5 cups of red wine. (To deglaze a pan put in the wine over a burner so that the cooking residue melts into the liquid.)

• Add about a cup of unsalted tomato sauce. 

• Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

• Add a Tablespoon of quality balsamic vinegar. 

• Add 4 leaves of fresh basil cut into strips. 

• Add 2-3 teaspoons of fresh, quality, grated Parmesan cheese. 

Simmer in high for 1-2 minutes so that the sauce mixes and the wine evaporates a bit.  Remove from heat. Toss in your favorite warm, cooked pasta. Mix and serve. 

I served with sautéed artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. While these are often expensive luxury items in the US, they are common and cheap in Italy. So it's fun to experiment while here.