One of my "tricks" is to use a blender or what is called an immersible chopper device (Cuisinart has a nice stainless one) for pureeing in a half cup of EVO some peeled garlic, some pitted calamata olives and some fresh herbs picked off the deck. Our stuff is really going wild so I take a 4 inch sprig of rosemary, some thyme, a little oregano and pluck the leaves and plop them into the chopper glass. Add some fresh cracked pepper and a little salt and puree that into a runny paste - if need be I add a little more EVO. So I get my pasta water boiling, get the pasta cooking and in a dutch oven I heat her up really hot, add the EVO Herb Paste and sautee a couple minutes. When the pasta is still el dente I fish it out with a spider basket and add it to the hot EVO paste, toss it well with tongs so all is covered with the flavored oil, hit it with a cup of fresh Ichopped parsley and about a healthy dose of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Remember to take the pasta off the heat before adding the cheese. Give it another good toss so it's combined well and perhaps one glug of EVO over the pasta to enhance the shine and flavor...
Of course FRESH made pasta is a whole better way to go AND after a few trial runs you'll have a really great dish. Often times I add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans to the pan right before adding the pasta. And that pasta water, there is a reasonI don't simply DRAIN the pasta into a colander, that starchy pasta water is GOLD, add a ladle or so to the pasta/flavored oil pan after and it makes a little "sauce" if you will - all that pasta starchy water has a lot of flavor. Just old restaurant tricks here, nothing more.
Edited by bigmike&nan - 6/16/12 at 5:40am
