Pasta with Rosemary Cream Sauce
At my college I often perused the bookstores shelves while waiting for friends. I tended to run my fingers down the rows of homesteading, farming, and cookbooks more than anything else. It was in the college bookstore that I stumbled across a cookbook that became a regular source of interest and amusement. InterCourses – An Aphrodisiac Cookbook filled with beautiful artistic photos of sensually displayed food. It was stuffed with recipes and testimonial stories from the taste-tester couples. Scientifically speaking the jury is still out on the efficacy of aphrodisiacs but that doesn’t make the recipes any less delicious or alluring.
In it I found the inspiration for one of my favorite recipes, Pasta with Rosemary cream sauce. It is sadly missing from later editions of the book, but became a permanent part of my recipe collection. A creamy, flavorful sauce that feels indulgent while being easy enough for a weeknight dinner even for two college students juggling work, school, social lives and a new relationship. With all preparations included it can be pulled off in a little over 20 minutes from putting water on to boil to sitting down with something warm and delicious.
I’ve tinkered with the original recipe a bit because I hate using only half of a container of pasta, and I could rarely find the tomato puree it suggested but I always have a tiny can of tomato paste. The addition of wine adds flavor and fun to the recipe. The only item not regularly in my pantry or fridge is fresh rosemary, if you’re inclined to garden it’s worth growing. You can use dried rosemary but you’ll miss out on some of the fresh flavors.
Pasta with Rosemary Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary minced (3-5 sprigs)**
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup dry wine white or red just not overly sweet
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Put a pot of water on to boil.
- Strip the rosemary from the woody stalks, thin green stalks can be minced with the leaves but it's better to leave the thick stems intact so they can be removed from the sauce. [If you end up short on fresh rosemary you can supplement with dried rosemary ground or crushed fine, or a drop of food grade rosemary essential oil (DoTERRA has one that is good for this application).]
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet sauté the minced rosemary and stems in the oil in a saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste spread across the pan to maximize surface area and encourage the tomato paste to caramelize and brown. Scrape up fond and spread the paste out again, deglaze with wine as needed for 5 minutes. Add water and remaining wine until you achieve a smooth texture near the consistency of jarred pasta sauce.
- Season with salt and fresh black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove large rosemary stems.
- Meanwhile add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water on the back of the stove then add your pasta and cook per package directions or your preferred doneness. Before draining pasta reserve 1 - 1 ½ cups of pasta water
- Pour in the cream and Parmesan, stirring until heated through.
- Drain pasta and toss with cream sauce, using reserved pasta water to receive a smooth and creamy consistency.
