Bring the Garden in Friday with Fettuccine with Butter and Sage

Sage is my favorite herb, next to rosemary. I think of it paired with cold weather foods, yet it grows most abundantly in Summer. There's only a little bunch left in my herb bed. If the weather stays mild, it might just save itself for our Thanksgiving stuffing.

I went out this week to snip a big handful to make this simple pasta dish from one of my favorite cookbooks. I substituted sage for the rosemary, as suggested, because soon enough, rosemary will be my only herb left in the garden.

Butter and sage is such a warming, comforting combination. I even ate some leftovers at 11:00am the next morning, and despite being a vegetable lover, I am a nothing-green-until-Noon kind of person. I feel like I could eat this all day long.

You will find this recipe in the book as Tajarin with Rosemary-Infused Butter. Fresh fettuccine or tagliatelle is called for, but since I can only find fresh pasta on certain days in a certain location, I used dried.

Fettuccine with Sage-Infused Butter
adapted from Patricia Wells' Trattoria

5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh sage or rosemary leaves
Sea salt to taste
1 pound fettuccine
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for the table

In a skillet large enough to hold the pasta later on, combine the butter and sage over low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat and cover. Set aside to infuse for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the fettuccine in 6 quarts of boiling, salted water.

Drain and transfer the pasta to the skillet, off the heat, and toss to blend. Cover and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to thoroughly absorb the sauce. Transfer to warmed pasta bowls and serve immediately, with cheese if desired.

Serves 4-6