tuesday’s i have some help around the house. so not only do i get a great sous chef milling about but i can make a mess and then disappear and magically the kitchen is clean again when i resurface. and that’s simply too good of a reason not to get out the knives. so i was back cooking again even though just yesterday i said i wouldn’t be..

i love michael chiarello. i want to live in napa and be his good friend. i want to knock on his door on the occasional afternoon, asking to snip a few herbs from his garden and then casually be invited to dinner. he’d love me, i just know it. his restaurant tra vigne in st. helena absolutely blew me away. i went 4 years ago and the whole vibe there was wonderful. great food with a kicked back ambiance. very napa. very what could be me in another chapter…

but in the meantime i watch him from afar. i’m not a food network kinda gal but i tivo michael’s show "easy entertaining" concentrating specifically on the easy parts as i am unlikely to make my own ravioli’s any time soon.

he claims this dish to be from northern italy and i’ve no reason not to believe him. i watched it on his show yesterday and i’ve made it from memory tonight. i love pasta and this had a totally different take – something new and different. i like that in a dish.

boil a pot of water – add salt, throw in about 2 lbs of rapini that’s been stemmed and roughly chopped blanch for a minute or two and remove to a bowl. add 1 lb. of spaghetti to the rapini water and cook 5 minutes – halfway to done drain and put in a bowl – reserving some pasta water pour a bottle of zinfandel and a teaspoon of sugar into a large saute pan. bring to a boil and add the half cooked spaghetti, finishing it off in the pan. the wine will boil off after about 5 minutes or so, but leave it slightly wet. put the pasta into another bowl. add olive oil – about 1/3 of a cup to the saute pan. then add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and crushed red chili pepper flakes to taste. when the garlic just starts to turn color, add the rapini to the pan and saute for a minute or two adding salt and pepper. then add the pasta and about 3/4 cup of grated parmegiano. toss it thoroughly and lightly grate some more cheese over the top. serve right from the pan.

it’s very good…