It turns out Martha Stewart knows a little something about using fresh herbs. Maybe they let her do some gardening to pass the time while in a cush minimum-security prison.
Too soon?
We decided to plant fresh herbs in addition to the vegetables in our garden. Out of convenience, and price, I have opted for dried herbs more often than not. But whenever I watch cooking shows on TV they use fresh herbs. So we thought if we planted some for ourselves, then we could have them on hand whenever. I'm even looking into keeping some in the window sill when the weather isn't as forgiving here in Iowa.
We used fresh parsley and thyme to elevate this simple pasta dish. Per Martha's instructions, use 1/4 cup of fresh parsley along with 1 tbsp of thyme.
Chop the herbs up finely and set 1 tbsp of butter out at room temperature.
Boil some quality egg noodles for about 7-8 minutes in salted water. Drain, do NOT rinse, and return to the pot. That starchy (film) on the noodles will help your butter and herbs to stick to the pasta and ensure they are more flavorful.
Toss the herbs and butter into the pot with our hot noodles and a little more salt & pepper to taste. Can it really be that simple? Yes, it can.
Let the butter melt and stir everything together. You will be amazed at how much delicious flavor is in this very simple dish. And I think it actually makes a really nice presentation too with the classic, simple colors.
I couldn't leave well enough alone, though, so I did top it with a little shredded Parmesan cheese. But you really don't need it.
I know some people were picky eaters as children. (You know who you are.) And I usually hear that their parents had to make them buttered noodles because that was all they liked. So imagine that simple childhood dish -- but brought up to adult standards.
Now we need to find some other applications for our herbs. That shouldn't be too hard.
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