8.15.14 Fettuccine with Arugula and Cherry Tomato Butter Sauce
I don’t know about you, but these days, I’m feeling particularly lazy. That tends to happen to me around August. Warm weather, long days, cicadas buzzing - I’d be content to just spend the month outside in this glorious, hot summer weather with a nice cold drink and a good book.
And while I’d definitely be down to commit the month to general laziness, there’s too much do. Work to be done, gardens to be tended, vegetables to be cooked, canned, and pickled, State Fairs to attend, and much, much more. So much to do, but when all is said and done, I can usually still manage to enjoy a couple of lazy summer days here and there.
And on a long, lazy day, it’s always nice to be able to cook something super simple, something that requires almost no effort at all. And few things are easier than this pasta with cherry tomato butter sauce. Because if you’re like me, you’ve probably already got everything you need for this already lying around. Not to mention, it’s positively scrumptious (but you already knew that right? I mean, fresh summer cherry tomatoes, butter, arugula, hello?) And in less than 20 minutes, you’ve got yourself one lovely, lazy summer dinner. Which leaves plenty of time for evening laziness to follow. I don’t know about you, but that’s something I can definitely get behind.
Fettuccine with Arugula and Cherry Tomato Butter Sauce
serves 3
Yup, there’s anchovies in there. Don’t worry, your pasta won’t taste fishy at all, just awesomely umami-full. Trust me on this one.
- 8-9 oz fettuccine (preferably fresh - I love using RP’s for this!)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 anchovies, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (any cherry tomatoes will work, but Sungolds are particularly awesome here!)
- 2 Tbsp white wine
- ½ tsp red chile flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 cups arugula leaves
- shaved parmesan, for serving
1. Cook pasta in salted water until just tender, about 7-8 minutes for dried, 2 minutes for fresh.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a large high sided pan over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute
4. Add the anchovies, cherry tomatoes, and wine. Cook until cherry tomatoes burst and sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the chile flakes, salt, and pepper. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
5. Add cooked and drained fettuccine to the pan, stirring to coat evenly with the sauce.
6. Reduce heat to low, add the arugula, and mix in until arugula just begins to wilt, about 30 seconds.
7. Remove from heat, top with shaved parmesan, and serve immediately.
