Fettuccini with Blackberry Farm Black Walnut Butter Sauce

Black walnuts pepper the ground all around the Blackberry Farm property and we love using these traditional mountain nuts in many ways both sweet and savory. Our Black Walnut Honey Butter is fantastic on its own but easy to integrate into recipes such as this easy pasta dish. Enjoy this in the autumn with sage or give it a fresh spring lift with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh chopped parsley.

Serves 4

• ¾ pound fettuccini
• ¼ cup Blackberry Farm Black Walnut Honey Butter
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 6-8 small, fresh sage leaves (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped)
• ¼ cup fresh shaved Blackberry Farm Singing Brook Cheese or parmesan (optional)
• Fresh lemon for finishing (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot

In a blender, combine the black walnut honey butter, garlic, fresh lemon juice and olive oil and blend until smooth. Drizzle in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and when it becomes foamy, toss in the sage leaves to sauté for about 1 minute being careful not to burn the butter.

Toss the pasta with the black walnut mixture and turn the heat on to re-warm if necessary. Thin the pasta with more of the reserved pasta water as needed.

Serve each portion with fresh ground black pepper, a drizzle of melted sage butter and a couple of the leaves for garnish. Top with shaved cheese if desired.

Note: if serving with parsley instead of sage, omit the sage butter step and simply sprinkle the finished pasta with fresh ground black pepper, chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon.