Sharp and savory sage butter noodles - great with lamb

Ok, when the Yeti wife and I were on vacation a while ago, we ate at a restaurant that had some sage noodles on the ala carte menu. I thought that they looked interesting and I tried them. Well, boy, was I disappointed. Everything else on the menu was pretty good, and also since this was a classic-style French bistro I expected the noodles to follow suit. But, alas, poor me! No good buttery sage noodles for this Yeti. The noodles were very tough and overworked, and the taste of the buttery sage sauce was very underwhelming and disappointing. Oh, woe is me! Ahem, well, ok, they were disappointing but the rest of the meal was pretty good.

Now, when I got home, I decided that I could do much better. So, here is a sauce for egg noodles that is delicate, savory, and just a little sharp thanks to a little acid from some lemon juice. And the snowdogs didn't go with us on vacation that time, but they would have liked it. Instead they went to snowdog spa.

Sharp and savory sage butter noodles

Ok, you'll want to make the sauce before cooking the noodles otherwise your noodles will probably be overcooked. This makes enough for coating about 12-16 ounces of pasta.

2 medium shallots or 1/4 white onion, small dice. Preferably the shallots.
1 tablespoon of butter for the shallots / onion. You can use olive oil if you want but the texture and flavor won't be quite the same. If you use olive oil, use the cheap stuff and not your virgin first cold press good stuff.
heavy pinch of salt, about 1/8 teaspoon
1 tablespoon of butter
2 teaspoons of flour
3-4 fresh sage leaves, slightly bruised and chiffonade (cut into ribbons) or 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crushed
1/4 cup dry white wine or light stock, chicken or something similar. I prefer wine for this, but you can use something else if you don't want the residual alcohol.

1/4 cup of water from cooking your pasta
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 more teaspoon or so of butter
white or black pepper, to taste, optional
couple of tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, optional

12-16 ounces of packaged egg noodles or, preferably, a batch of your home-made noodles rolled thin and cut into 1/2 inch wide ribbons. Mmm, yummy.
Salt for your pasta water.

Ok, this recipe takes a little bit of coordination so you may want to read through this before starting it. Choose a heavy bottomed saucier or saucepan big enough for your noodles that is big enough for holding all your cooked noodles with the sauce. In your saucepan or a saucier place one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the shallots / onion and sweat over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Also add your heavy pinch of salt, about 1/8 teaspoon, at this point. You want the shallot to be translucent and soft, but not to have any color. You're not sauteeing here. Then add the other tablespoon of butter and the flour. You're going to make a thin roux. Whisk this flour and butter/shallot mixture over medium heat until the flour is well incorporated in the butter. Keep whisking this mixture over medium heat slowly but steadily for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the sage and mix. Add the 1/4 cup of wine or other liquid and bring to a boil. When the mixture reaches a boil, whisk one more time and remove from the heat.

Cook your pasta to your preferred doneness. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta without rinsing it. Add this pasta water and the lemon juice (here's your acid tangy sharpness) to the sauce, return to a boil, and allow to boil for about 30 seconds and then add the final teaspoon of butter for a nice smooth texture. If you want your sauce to be thicker, allow it to boil for another 30 seconds or so. Toss your pasta with the sauce and serve. You can crack black pepper (or use a pinch of white pepper if you want to be all Frenchified fancy with it) over it to taste. Just a little though, as this is all about the sage and butter. Toss with parsley if desired and serve.

Serves 1 hungry Yeti, or 2 Yetis as a side dish, or 4 people.