Easy Fettuccine with Fresh Herbs

I've been posting for the last couple of weeks about my garden and how well it's doing. While there will be another update on Saturday (count on it!), I wanted to showcase one of the dishes I've come up with using some of the fresh herbs from my garden! It's quick and easy and the perfect light meal for a summer day!

Easy Fettuccine with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fettuccine*
• salt, to taste
  
• fresh parsley**
• fresh marjoram**
• fresh rosemary **
• fresh purple ruffles basil**
• fresh Thai basil**
• crushed red pepper flake (optional)
  
• extra virgin olive oil
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* Any 'ribbon' pasta (long, thin, flat noodle) should work fine here. Linguine is a good substitute. Spaghetti can work too if you don't have the others on hand.
** Substitutions can easily be made for any of the herbs. If you can't come across purple ruffles & Thai basil, plain ol' sweet basil will work okay. No marjoram? Use oregano. Amounts are up to the taste of the chef. I use a 2:1 purple to Thai basil ratio. Marjoram and rosemary can be overpowering, so you might want to use them sparingly.

Preparation:

1. Bring about five quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta when a rolling boil is reached. Prepare according to the instructions on the box (usually between 8-11 minutes).
2. While the pasta cooks, do a rough chop of your parsley, marjoram, and rosemary and a chiffonade of your basils. Set aside.
3. Once your pasta has reached al dente, drain it into a colander or strainer. DO NOT RINSE! This tends to give your pasta a slimy texture.
4. Plate your pasta. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top and give it a little drizzle of olive oil. Finish with your herbs and red pepper flake (if using - I would highly recommend using it, as it adds a great spicy flavor).
5. Serve immediately!

Serves: 4 (6-8 as a side)
Sering Suggestions: Serve this great pasta as a side or as a main dish (a GREAT vegetarian entree). If serving as a side, this would go great with an herb-rubbed or grilled chicken (maybe finished with a little lemon). Also, serving it with some crusty Italian bread would be great to sop up some of the ambient oil and stray herbs left after the pasta is gone! If you're into the food-wine pairing, this dish would go great with a Chardonnay.