Herb Garden Sauce Recipe

Herb Garden Sauce

from Joie Warner's no-cook pasta sauces

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons fruity olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme leaves

Serves 4.

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found
in Joie Warner's no-cook pasta sauces
from Chronicle Books

A bouquet of fresh herbs added to olive oil and garlic turns the simple into the sublime. If your garden is blooming, toss in a few fresh (pesticide-free) edible flowers such as nasturtium, lavender, or calendula petals.

1. Combine olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese in pasta serving bowl. Set aside to warm to room temperature or, preferably, place the bowl (be sure it's heatproof) over the pasta pot to warm the ingredients and melt the butter while heating the water. Once the water comes to a boil, remove bowl and set aside.

2. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta well and immediately add to sauce in bowl. Sprinkle with basil, parsley, mint, chives, and thyme and toss. Serve at once with extra Parmesan cheese.

Recommended Pasta: 12 ounces linguine