Tagliatelle with onion sauce

I'm pretty sure this isn't exactly what Mole had in mind when he taunted the toll-taking rabbits in "Wind in the Willows":"`Onion-sauce! Onion-sauce!' he remarked jeeringly, and was gone before they could think of a thoroughly satisfactory reply."

Clearly, Mole meant it as some sort of insult, but I wouldn't say anything derogatory about this onion sauce.

Tagliatelle with onion sauce

Adapted from “The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces” by Diane Seed, and charmingly illustrated by Robert Budwig

Ingredients

1 pound tagliatelle or other wider noodle

8 ounces butter (one stick)

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

Broth

7 ounces heavy cream

Sprinkle of nutmeg

Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Chopped fresh rosemary leaves, optional

Method

Heat water to cook pasta. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium low heat until very tender. Do not allow to brown. Add enough broth to cover the onions. Cover the pan and cook onions for another 25 minutes. 

Puree onion mixture. Add cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Cook pasta until nearly done. Add to cream mixture and cook a few minutes until pasta is ready. Garnish with Parmesan and rosemary if desired.

Rating: Very nice. Very simple sauce that's pantry friendly. As written, it's probably not diet friendly, but honestly one could just skip the cream and still have a very white, creamy and tasty sauce that's a tad less caloric. I was a bit skeptical about the bit about not letting the onions brown, because I adore caramelized onions and the deep flavor they bring. But it works, and it results in a sort of savory cream. I thought the pinch of rosemary worked well here. Definitely something to add to the playbook.