PASTA WITH BUTTER, SAGE, AND PARMESAN

PASTA WITH BUTTER, SAGE, AND PARMESAN image

Categories Pasta

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
20 or 30 fresh sage leaves or about 1 tablespoon dried whole sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne, or long pasta, like linguine or spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sage, salt, and pepper. Cook until the butter turns light brown, about 10 minutes. Salt the water and cook the pasta until it is tender. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water into a warm serving bowl. Drain the pasta and toss in the serving bowl with the butter, more pepper, and half the Parmesan. Pass the remaining Parmesan at the table. FETTUCCINE "ALFREDO": Reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons and melt it gently; eliminate the sage. In step 3, while the pasta cooks, warm a large bowl; when it's warm, add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup of grated Parmesan; beat briefly. Add pepper. When the pasta is cooked, toss it with the cheese-egg-cream mixture, adding a little cooking water if needed to keep the mixture moist. Drizzle with the butter, toss well, and serve.