Maggie's Garlic Wine Pasta

Two posts in two days? Believe it!

Here's the story behind this dinner. A while ago (6 months? a year?) I was craving something creamy and garlicky but nothing I found was sounding quite right. I asked Shana if she minded an experimental dinner and (after a bit of explanation) she agreed.

The first concoction was WAY to thick. Tasty, but thick. The second time I made (seriously, it was good), I adjusted too far the other way and it was way too thin.  The third time it was finally what I wanted it to be: a garlicky, creamy, wine-y, sauce over pasta and veggies. Plus, it's pretty quick and super easy. All in all, a huge winner!

so much creamygarlickywiney goodness

Maggie's Garlic Wine Pasta
Ingredients
For Sauce
5 T. margarine
6 cloves garlic, minced
4.5 T. flour
1 c. white wine
1 1/2 c. veggie stock
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Everything Else
6 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta
2 med. carrots, sliced
2 small heads broccoli, in florets
1/3 head cauliflower, in florets
1 med. zucchini, in 1/2 inch thick half-mood shape (or other seasonal veggie)

Directions
1. Boil water and add pasta.
2. Saute garlic in melted margarine in a medium pan or saucier.
3. Add flour to garlic/margarine, stir regularly for 4-5 minutes over medium heat (you want to cook out the "flour" flavor).
4. When pasta is about halfway cooked, add all veggies except zucchini to water with pasta.
5. Add broth, wine, salt, and pepper to roux (fat/flour mixture), stir over med-high heat until thick.
6. Add zucchini with about 2 minutes left to cook.
7. Drain pasta, return to pot.
8. Pour sauce over pasta, stir to combine.

Clearly we didn't use zucchini this time, but the frozen peas are a great substitute.

Helpful Hints

• If you're not super familiar with cooking with wine, don't buy wines sold as "cooking wine" in the grocery store. The wine flavor really comes through in food, so cook with a wine you'd like to drink out of a glass. I guarantee that "cooking wine" is not good for that. 
• You thought I was kidding yesterday about onion and garlic being a food group at our house, didn't you? If this sounds like too much garlic for you, dial it down. Use two cloves instead (or more, yum!) or any amount of garlic that feels right for you. 
• Speaking of garlic, you do own a garlic press, right?
• If you want to, you can let the roux cook longer until it starts to get brown. Be a bit careful, as burned garlic is an awful flavor, but the darker roux will impart much more flavor. 
• You can use any other veggies you like in this, provided they aren't too overpowering in flavor. In the spring, asparagus would be awesome! 

The post "Maggie's Garlic Wine Pasta" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.