Butter & Sage Sauce (Burro e Salvia)

Serve with:

• All gnocchi
• All stuffed pastas
• Fettuccine
• Garganelli
• Tagliatelle

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (170 grams; 1½ sticks) unsalted butter
• 16 fresh sage leaves, or more if you’d like
• Kosher salt
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Directions

1. In a large sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage and fry until crisp and dark around the edges, swirling the pan often to coat the leaves in the butter, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the sage to a paper towel–lined plate.
   
2. Cook your pasta of choice to your liking. When the pasta is almost done, return the butter to medium heat. Scoop out ¾ cup (180 ml) pasta cooking water and add it to the butter. Whisk or stir the sauce constantly until emulsified.
   
3. If the pasta can comfortably fit in your pan, transfer it directly to the sauce with a spider sieve or slotted spoon (or drain it first and reserve 1 cup (240 ml) pasta cooking water). Simmer, stirring or swirling the pan often, until the sauce thickens and the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and shower the pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Swirl again until creamy, loosening with more cooking water as needed.
   
4. If there’s too much pasta to fit in the pan, simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pasta to a serving platter or bowl and pour the sauce on top, making sure all the pasta is coated.
   
5. Serve topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and the fried sage.