Recipe Time: Pasta with Roasted Garlic Sauce

I usually devote Saturday morning to lounging on the sofa, drinking coffee, and watching PBS cooking shows. Saturday night is typically devoted to making recipes from said cooking shows. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe, so I gave it a whirl with lip-smacking results.

I'm not a big raw garlic fan. I think it needs a long slow roasting to mellow the flavor and bring out the sweetness, but unfortunately, that takes awhile. This recipe uses a clever shortcut while still achieving that caramelly goodness, and the whole thing is finished in about 20 minutes, or the time it takes to get your pasta water boiling.



Ingredients:

• 50 cloves of garlic
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 2 t. balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti, linguine, or fettucine
• 8 oz. baby arugula
• 1 c. walnuts
• Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Start boiling water and salt for pasta. Once it's boiling, add pasta.
2. Combine garlic and olive oil into medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring now and then until garlic is browned all over, about 10 minutes. 
3. Toast walnuts in a separate pan, and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
4. Add broth, vinegar, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper to the garlic and simmer until garlic is easily pierced with a fork, about five more minutes. 
5. Pour garlic mixture into blender or food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
6. Once your pasta is finished cooking, drain, pour the sauce over it, add walnuts and baby arugula and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve drizzled with extra olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Notes:

• Yes, 50 cloves is a lot of garlic, but trust me - that's really how much you want. It helps to buy it already peeled. 
• You could add some grilled chicken or shrimp to this for extra protein
• If you're not a fan of arugula, baby spinach would also be good.
• Save some of the pasta water to thin the sauce with if needed while you're tossing everything together. I didn't need it when I made this, but it's always a good idea to save some just in case.