Spicy Red Wine and Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

It snowed another couple of inches last night, so we stayed in. I made this sauce from what was on hand. It turned out to be very tasty! I served it with fettuccine and broccoli, but any pasta and vegetables would work. I think shrimp would be a nice substitute for the chicken too. As always, have fun with it!



1-2 T EVOO
1/2 Onion - diced
1 Celery stalk - dice
s/p
1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless) - diced into small pieces and seasoned with s/p (optional)
3 cloves Garlic - diced
1/4 - 1/2 c Red Wine
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
1/2 28oz can Muir Glen Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
fresh Thyme
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T cold Butter
1 1/2 c Broccoli Florets - Blanched, Chilled in an Ice Bath, and Drained (not needed for the sauce, but it adds flavor, color and great texture)

If you're making pasta with the sauce, start to boil a large pot of water. I blanched my broccoli, and then cooked the pasta in the same water. Don't forget to heavily salt the water before cooking anything in it.

Heat EVOO in a skillet over med-low heat. Then, add the onions and celery. Stir occasionally.



When the onions are clear, add the chicken pieces to the pan.



Turn the heat up a little so that the chicken browns, but doesn't burn. You're looking for a golden brown.

Stir in the garlic.

Once the chicken has started to brown, deglaze the pan with your red wine. You want the pan to be hot when the wine is added. If you're scared of the alcohol flaring up, turn the flame off as you add the wine. Then, turn it back on.

Use a spatula to scrape up and incorporate any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan into the sauce.



Add your hot sauce. I like Huy Fong Foods Chili Garlic Sauce. I wanted a nice kick, so I used almost a table spoon of chili sauce. It made a great balanced flavor with the fullness of the wine and the sweet smoky taste of the tomatoes.

Turn the heat down if needed. You want the sauce to very lightly boil.

Let the wine mixture reduce by almost half.

Use your hands to break the tomatoes up, and drop them into the pan. Also, add half of the sauce from the can.

Stir in the fresh thyme. Taste and season with salt if needed.



This is when I would start cooking my pasta. As the pasta cooks to al dente, let the sauce simmer over med-low heat.

Once the pasta is done, or after the sauce has simmered for around 5-8 minutes, add the basil.

Then, swirl the cold butter into the sauce.

Stir in the broccoli, or toss it and the sauce with your drained pasta.



Top with cheese and more fresh basil, if desired.



This sauce is gluten free and can be vegetarian if the chicken is omitted from the recipe.

Bon appetit!