Brown Butter Fresh Sage Pasta

This is a nice way to use up any fresh sage you may have laying around.  I had some from this Butternut Squash Soup.  I love fresh sage sauteed in butter!  By the way, a nice way to keep sage leaves fresh is to dampen a paper towel, squeeze it out, and lay the sage leaves on top, kind of spreading them out.  Then roll the paper towel up loosely, and place the whole thing in a ziplock bag.  Don't close the ziplock bag all the way, and store in your crisper drawer.  My sage lasted about 2 weeks this way.  Actually, it could still be good; I haven't checked on the rest of it lately.  :) 

Brown Butter Fresh Sage Pasta
adapted from NY Times

8 oz. favorite pasta
2 tablespoons butter
15-20 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan or Parm-Reg

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; salt it. Cook pasta until it is tender, but not quite done.

2. Meanwhile, place butter in a skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta; turn heat to medium, and add sage. Cook until butter turns nut-brown and sage shrivels, then turn heat to a minimum.

3. When the pasta is just about done, scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta. Immediately add it to the butter-sage mixture, and raise heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup of the water, and stir; the mixture will be loose and a little soupy. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until some of the water is absorbed and the pasta is perfectly done.

4. Stir in cheese; the sauce will become creamy. Thin it with a little more water if necessary. Season liberally with pepper and salt to taste, and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

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