Garlic and Herb Pasta

(modified from Great Good Food)

I promised a while back to post my cure-all (colds, flu, sniffles, etc.) garlic recipe and promptly forgot all about doing so...then I made it this weekend for a friend of mine and rememebered what I was supposed to do. Thanks to all of you who have posted recipes that I've used before (especially the vegan chocochip cookies).

(Oh, and my friend's cold went away the next day.)

(This serves 2 really hungry people but can be spread out to 4 people if you serve it with a salad or something.)

  • 24 cloves of garlic, peeled (This is a really boring job but it's so very worth it.)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cup veggie broth or water
  • a couple of Roma tomatoes and a little onion, maybe some red pepper
  • ~2 T dried basil
  • tarragon, oregano, pepper to taste (the more the better, usually 2 t tarragon is perfect)
  • Whatever pasta floats your boat (I like penne or mostaciolli)
  • Sautee the garlic cloves (still whole) in the olive oil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently and being VERY careful not to burn them. If you do, throw em out and start over b/c burned garlic in this is REALLY gross. Add 1/2 c of the broth and turn the heat to low and let simmer for awhile, about 15 minutes or until the broth has evaporated mostly. [You should start the water for the pasta now.] By this point, the garlic should be soft enough to crush with the back of a wooden spoon. Crush about 3/4 of them like this. Add the rest of the broth, the sliced up tomatoes, the chopped up onion, and the herbs. I've actually never measured out the herbs I put in, so you should taste the broth and see how you like it. Wait a couple minutes for the tomatoes to shrivel up, add more pepper, and turn the heat off. Try not to drool into the broth. :)

    Put the pasta in deep bowls and spoon the garlic broth over the pasta and toss so that everthing is coated well. Serve immediately and enjoy! Your immune system will thank you. :) Oh, and make sure that your SO/roommates don't mind you smelling like garlic for the rest of the day. I've found that brushing my teeth 4 times and then mouthwashing does the trick. But this stuff is well worth the trouble.