Recipe: Buttery Pasta with Sage Leaves

Buttery Pasta with Sage Leaves

Serves 3 to 4 as a main course; 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Sage is considered a calming herb, good for the memory and nerves. It's also beneficial to digestion and the liver. Pasta is a natural comfort food, full of complex carbohydrates which elevate serotonin levels in the brain. And butter may be not be so desirable in excess, but you can't beat it's unique ability to trigger messages of pleasure, good flavor, and enjoyment to the brain.

Pasta:
1 pound fettuccine or a stuffed pasta, like ravioli

Sauce:
5 tablespoons butter
8 fresh sage leaves
fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the table

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and cover to keep warm.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until it foams. Add the sage leaves. Cook, stirring the leaves in the butter, for several seconds, until the butter turns golden but does not brown. Pour the sauce over cooked pasta and serve with freshly ground pepper and grated cheese on the side.