Tajarin pasta with sage butter
This elegant Tajarin pasta dish features a rich and aromatic sage butter sauce. Fresh egg pasta is tossed in browned butter infused with crispy sage, a touch of chicken or vegetable stock, and brightened with lemon juice. Finished with grated Parmesan, it's a simple yet sophisticated Italian classic.
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot For cooking pasta
- 1 Saucepan or Skillet For making the sage butter sauce
- 1 Colander For draining pasta
- 1 Tongs For tossing and serving pasta
- 1 Whisk For emulsifying the sauce
Ingredients
Main
- 100 g butter
- small pack sage leaves picked
- 100 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ lemon juiced
- 350 g fresh egg taglierini or fresh egg tagliatelle or linguine
- grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta.
- While the water heats, pick the sage leaves, ensuring they are dry.
- In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter browns, and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty (beurre noisette).
- Add the picked sage leaves to the browned butter and cook for 30 seconds until they become crisp. Remove the crispy sage leaves with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the chicken or vegetable stock to the browned butter in the pan, stirring to combine and deglaze any bits from the bottom.
- Add the fresh egg taglierini (or tagliatelle/linguine) to the boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions until al dente, usually 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.
- Drain the pasta thoroughly and immediately add it to the saucepan with the sage butter sauce.
- Add the lemon juice and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously with tongs to coat the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to create a glossy, emulsified sauce.
- Serve immediately, garnished with the crispy sage leaves and a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Achieving the perfect sage butter sauce relies on browning the butter to a beautiful nutty stage (beurre noisette) without burning. Watch it closely as it foams and the milk solids turn golden brown. Crisping the sage leaves adds both flavor and textural contrast; add them to the butter just before it fully browns. Always reserve some pasta cooking water; its starch content is crucial for emulsifying the sauce, creating a glossy, rich coating for the pasta. The lemon juice at the end brightens the dish, cutting through the richness of the butter and enhancing the sage. Ensure the pasta is al dente, especially fresh egg pasta, which cooks quickly.