“Drunken” Pasta with Green Herbs and European Butter

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then very thinly sliced crosswise
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bottle (750ml) full-bodied red wine, such as Zinfandel or Syrah, divided
• 1 Tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lb dried imported linguini or spaghetti
• 6 ounces (1½ sticks) Salted Challenge European Style butter, cut into 12 pieces
• 1 ¼ cups (about 5 ounces) finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups snipped chives
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves (optional)