Herb Butter-and-Goat Cheese Linguine

• 4 Servings
• Prep 10 mins
• Cook 10 mins

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cups chopped multicolored heirloom tomatoes

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.

2. While the pasta is working, in a serving bowl, add the crumbled goat cheese. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the white wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, dill, tarragon and thyme. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water.

3. Add the pasta to the goat cheese. Pour the herb sauce on top, season with pepper and toss for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and toss gently for another minute; season with salt and pepper.

I loved how easy and yet impressive this Rachael Ray recipe seemed and knew I wanted to make it. I'd never cooked with shallots, tarragon or fresh dill before so I wasn't nervous, more curious. Tarragon smells a bit like licorice and/or tea and can be a bit of an overwhelming flavor. Shallots are an awesome hybrid of garlic and onion taste. Amazing. I had skipped them for years, using onions instead, for so long because they looked scary and unfamiliar. But once you get the skin off they look very similar to an onion. Plus I've seen Rach cut enough of them that I knew what to do. Anyway the recipe was delicious. It would've been even heartier with some mushrooms, chicken or shrimp (or all 3 if you really want to go crazy).