Linguini with Garlic Cream Sauce

By norsegal8

Although this pasta dish is not totally cream-free, the garlic puree (see related recipe) and poaching milk make appealing and tasty substitutes for the amounts of cream and butter usually found in standard Alfredo-style sauces.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (reserved from garlic poaching)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic puree
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound linguine
• Instructions

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large soup kettle.

2. Bring milk, cream, red pepper, and oregano to boil in a medium saucepan; simmer, whisking constantly, until milk mixture reduces by half. Lower heat; whisk in garlic puree until sauce emulsifies slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste; cover and keep warm.

3. Meanwhile add 1 tablespoon salt and the linguine to the boiling water; boil until linguine is just tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss linguine with sauce. If the sauce is too thick to coat pasta evenly, add the cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve with additional finely grated Parmesan and ground black pepper.