2011-01-03-PastawithHerbs.jpgI recently went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant and was served a ragu so infused with rosemary that I practically licked the plate clean. I couldn’t see any minced herbs in the sauce, so I finally asked the waiter. The secret, he told me, was all in the pasta.

Once he told me, I could see it: tiny flecks of minced rosemary embedded in the linguini itself. Brilliant! I suspect that whole rosemary was also simmered in the sauce and then removed before serving, but including it in the pasta itself ensures consistent seasoning inside and out.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me to try this before! It would be so easy to add a few tablespoons of minced herbs straight into the dough while mixing it. Not so much that the pasta turns green, but just enough to add a little punch of flavor.

I’ll definitely be experimenting with this in my next batch of pasta. Have you ever done this?

Related: Colorful Cooking: How to Make Colored Pasta

(Image: Flickr member sporkist licensed under Creative Commons)