Pasta with caramelised onions in red wine

Cooking notes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter (about 56 gms)

  • 3 small or 2 medium one red onions, sliced

  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

  • 187 ml red wine ("split" size bottle)

  • 200 gm sausages (I used black pepper cocktail), chopped and lightly pan-fried

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 3 cups (750 ml) chicken broth

  • 1.5 cups water (375 ml)

  • 350 gms pasta (I used a mix of fusilli and elbow)

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 2-3 sprigs of thyme

  • 200 ml cooking cream

  • ½ tsp of paprika

  • 125 gms cheddar cheese, shredded

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Heat a large non-stick pot over medium-high heat and warm up the butter. 

  2. Toss in the onions and brown sugar and stir frequently for about five minutes, until the onions are softened. 

  3. Carefully, pour in the wine and keep stir it in gently. Cook this until the wine has evaporated, yet left the onions moist. It took me about nine minutes.

  4. Add the sausages and garlic in, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking for another three minutes.

  5. Pour in the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. 

  6. Once boiling, add in the pasta, bay leaves and thyme. Cooking the pasta will take about 12 minutes, and you can keep stirring a little in between. You can add another ½ cup of water if you feel like the pasta needs it.

  7. Once the pasta is done, stir in the cream and paprika. Cook for another three minutes.

  8. Stir in most of the cheddar cheese, leaving just a teaspoon to garnish. Cook for another minutes and then remove from the heat. 

  9. Top your pasta with the remaining cheese and thyme, and enjoy!