creamy garlic and herb noodles
I had a whole bunch of fresh CSA herbs piling up, and a garlicky buttery cream sauce was the perfect repository for them. These noodles were lightly slick with cream, not creamy in the gloppy, mouth-coating, fettucine Alfredo kind of way. Basically, they’re not so heavy that you’ll need to unbutton your pants and take a sweaty nap afterwards, which is great because there is sunshine to be enjoyed outside, dammit. They are, however, just rich enough to go with a glass of crisp white wine and/or a crisp green salad.
[Updated on July 14 because I forgot to include cream in the recipe. Oops. Thanks to Cho for the heads up.]
(serves 1)
3 oz spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, or other dried noodle-shaped pasta
1/2 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
as much minced garlic (and/or garlic scapes, since it’s that time of year) as you’d like
a scant 1/4 cup whatever leafy fresh herbs you have, minced (I used sage, oregano, parsley, and summer savory)
a couple shaves of lemon zest (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside.
Heat butter and garlic in a small pan over medium-low heat until the butter is foamy but not brown. Add cream, herbs, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Heat gently until sauce is slightly thickened. Add pasta and toss it around in the pan with the cream sauce. Top with grated cheese if you’d like.
