Fresh herbs are the answer to run-of-the-mill pasta

Take a bag of dried pasta, good quality extra virgin olive oil, a head of garlic, peppercorns and salt, and you have the makings of a meal. Add fresh herbs from a supermarket sachet and you have a feast.

People have been flavouring this staple with fresh herbs for ages. The simplicity of a bowl of spaghetti glistening with olive oil, flecked with chopped parsley, garlic, and grounds of peppercorn and Parmesan is more beguiling to today’s palate and much easier to produce than a coating of the more complex meat-based sauces that are often served in fancier restaurants.

Most herbs have obvious partners.

• Fresh sage adds character to a ricotta and cream sauce. Shred a few leaves into a sauce you make or a store-bought one to enhance its flavour.

• Tarragon responds well to cream as well as the scrapings from the bottom of a roasted chicken pan. Pour a little white wine or water over them, put the pan over a low flame and scratch away at the brown scrapings with a wooden spoon. Once they are loose and bubbling into the liquid, add a bit of cream and reduce to thicken before throwing in a handful of chopped tarragon. Pour at once over a warmed bowl of spaghetti.

• Basil is renowned for its compatibility with tomatoes. But it also flatters other Mediterranean vegetables like aubergines and roasted red peppers. You can cube and salt aubergines to drain them of their bitter juices, then pat them dry and fry them in olive oil and garlic to make a delicious companion to pasta. Throw in a handful of torn basil leaves just before serving.

• Oregano, marjoram and thyme – pungent herbs of the hot south – pair happily with fruity olive oil, sharp pecorino or feta cheese and chopped fat black olives.

• Mint flatters peas and plain button mushrooms, both tasty with butter on shorter pastas like farfalle and penne.

• Rosemary, a deeply flavoured herb, needs a partner with a strong character, like pancetta or dry cured bacon to balance it.

But the real pleasure of using herbs in pasta is the ease with which you can conjure dishes of terrific freshness and taste. The time and effort is minimal, yet the heady aroma and scrumptious flavour far surpass many more complex meals.

Go to the next page for 5 great sauce recipes.

Recipes

Tarragon and Courgette Sauce
Serves 4

1 sachet tarragon
450g small courgettes, unpeeled and cut into thin rounds
olive oil or butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coarsely chop the tarragon leaves and set aside. Sprinkle the courgette rounds with salt and put them in a colander to drain off their liquid. Pat dry and fry them gently in oil or butter or a mixture of the two. When they are soft, add salt and pepper to taste, stir in the tarragon then pour over spaghetti or any other pasta and turn well.

Rocket and Goat’s Cheese Sauce
Serves 4

1 handful rocket
340g double cream
55g fresh goat’s cheese, crumbled
225g French beans
salt and pepper

Simmer the cream in a large pan over medium heat until slightly reduced. Whisk in the goat’s cheese and set aside. Blanch the beans and boil for 2 minutes or until they are tender but still crisp. Drain, then add them to the cream with the rocket, salt and pepper. Pour over pasta and turn well to coat.

Mint and Rocket Pesto
Serves 4

90g fresh mint leaves
330g rocket leaves
150g pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
150ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the mint, rocket, half the pine nuts, and garlic to a food processor and blitz till coarsely chopped. Then, leaving the food processor running on a very low speed, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, salt and pepper to taste, then purée until smooth. Toast the remaining pine nuts. Add the pesto, then the nuts to cooked and drained pasta and serve with a bowl of grated Parmesan cheese.

Fresh Herbs and Cream Sauce
Serves 4

85g basil, mint, parsley and chives, finely chopped
340ml double cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
½ tsp salt
pinch grated nutmeg
pinch cayenne
30g freshly grated Parmesan

In a heavy sauce, simmer the cream, butter, salt, nutmeg and cayenne for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the Parmesan and herbs and simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. Then pour over pasta, turn to coat and serve.

Green Sauce
Serves 4

110g fresh parsley
30g fresh dill
2 small spring onions, sliced
2 anchovy fillets, drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
generous ½ tbsp capers, drained
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
75ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Purée the parsley, onions and dill in a food processor. Add the anchovies, garlic, capers and lemon juice and process until smooth. While the machine is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Season to taste, then pour over pasta, turn to coat and serve.

Rosemary and Anchovy Sauce
Serves 4

1 ½ tbsp finely chopped rosemary
9 salted anchovy fillets
juice 1 ½ lemons
100ml extra virgin olive oil

Rinse the anchovies under cold water to remove the salt. Then carefully take off the heads and peel out the spines. Pat dry. In a food processor, process the rosemary to a fine grain, then add the anchovy and pulse till both become a paste. With the machine running on a very slow speed, add the olive oil in a thin stream, then the lemon juice. This makes a thick sauce that may need a spoonful or two of the pasta water to loosen it before pouring over the pasta.

Next page: 4 more tasty pasta dishes

Herb, Lemon and Toasted Crumb Sauce
Serves 4

4 large handfuls light-flavoured herbs, such as tarragon, basil, fennel, chervil or scant chives
2 handfuls rocket leaves
4 handfuls fresh white breadcrumbs
2 small shallots
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp butter
juice of 2 lemons, plus the grated zest from ½ a lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Finely chop the rocket and herbs. Put them in a warm serving bowl with the finely chopped shallot, the butter and 8 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add the lemon juice and zest.

Cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and the breadcrumbs and fry gently until golden, turning them all the while with a spatula to prevent them from burning.

Add the cooked pasta to the bowl of herbs, turn well to coat and melt the butter. Season with salt and black pepper and toss over the breadcrumbs.

Parsley, Garlic, Chilli and Olive Oil Sauce
Serves 4

1 generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1–2 red chillies to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the garlic in 4 or more tbsp of olive oil until soft. Add the chillies, then the cooked and drained pasta and pour into a serving bowl. Toss over the parsley, salt and pepper, then turn well to coat. Serves 4.

Thyme Pangritata
Serves 4

1 generous handful of fresh thyme leaves off the stalks
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
200g fresh white breadcrumbs
8 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the olive oil into a hot heavy frying pan. Add everything but the salt and pepper and stir until the breadcrumbs turn gold and crisp. Season and drain on kitchen paper, then sprinkle over the pasta.

Coriander Cellophane Noodles
Serves 4

1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
340g pork, chicken or prawn, sliced
225g cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water, drained and cut into 7.5cm lengths
2 eggs
2 tbsp Nam Pla (fish sauce)
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded
140g bean sprouts
1 head celery, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until golden. Add the meat and cook until opaque. Add the noodles, tossing and stirring to incorporate the meat. Make a hole in the centre of the mixture and break the eggs into it. Slowly stir the eggs until set, then break them up and incorporate them into the noodles. Add the pepper and fish sauce. Stir in the peanuts, celery and beansprouts and cook until heated through. Strew the coriander leaves over the noodles and serve.