GREEN NOODLES WITH GARLIC

Green Noodles with Garlic image

Provided by Ellen Shriver

Yield Serves 2 as a main course

Number Of Ingredients 5

1/2 pound dried spinach linguine
2 or 3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)

Steps:

Bring a kettle three fourths full with salted water to a boil and cook linguine until al dente. While pasta is cooking, force garlic through a garlic press into a 10- to 12-inch skillet and add oil. Cook garlic over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Chop cilantro sprigs.
Ladle out and reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain linguine in a colander and add to garlic mixture. Cook mixture over moderate heat, tossing pasta until coated well with oil and garlic, about 1 minute (if pasta appears dry, add reserved pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Add Parmesan and toss linguine until cheese begins to melt. Remove skillet from heat and toss linguine with cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.