Once again, it was my overflowing herb garden that inspired me to make this dish — I used to think of sage as an herb you cook with only in winter. I’ve always grown it, but by the time I wanted to use it, it was gone with the first frost. Luckily, I’ve discovered that sage is wonderful year-round. In this simple meat sauce,  the sage (together with the meat browned in butter!) provides for a nice depth of flavor! I hope you’ll try this recipe tonight with your fresh herbs!

2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 medium onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely grated or minced
8 large sage leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups red wine
3/4 cup beef stock
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 lb (uncooked) cavatappi pasta, cooked according to package instructions
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over high heat. Add beef and brown 5 minutes, stirring constantly to breaking up any clumps. Add onion, garlic, sage, and sprinkle with flour. Stir an additional 3 minutes. Stir in wine, beef stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat. Stir in parsley and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve over pasta with a dollup of sour cream.

Serves 6.