Linquine Baked in Paper

Simple to prepare. Stunning presentation. Scrumptious!

"The paper packages keep in all the lovely juices and the flavor of the herbs, wine, tomatoes, and garlic, which infuse the pasta during baking. There's no need to removed the paper after cooking, as it add to the stylish presentation."

~From New Vegetarian Kitchen, which I highly recommend to you.

Ingredients*

13 1/2 ounces linguine (I used fresh linguine.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 long red chili, seeded and finely chopped (I used a jalapeno.)
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese shavings, to serve
*(Be creative and add other vegetables. I added a large handful of chopped asparagus.)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water. Drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and fry the garlic and chili 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and cook 3 to 5 minutes until the wine reduces by about one-third and the alcohol evaporates.
3. Preheat the oven to 350. Add the tomatoes and capers (and other veggies, i.e. the asparagus) to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until slightly soft. Add the pasta, reserved cooking water, and parsley. Remove the pan from the heat and stir until the pasta is coated in the sauce.
4. Put a large sheet of parchment paper in each of four bowls and divide the pasta into them. Gather up the edges of the paper and tie with kitchen string. Put the packages of the paper on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. To serve, return the packages to the bowls and open carefully. Sprinkle with Parmesan, season with salt fresh black pepper, and serve.

I served this with  a salad, no-knead bread (dill and scallion) and red wine.

YUM!!!