Garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
Most pasta recipes call for at least one of those ingredients; many include all three.
But when we were growing up, my mother always served macaroni with browned butter, and I hadn't eaten it that way since I was a kid. For some reason the other evening I had a yen to try it that way again.
Surely I could find a vegetable to mix it up a bit. Checking my pantry and refrigerator, I found black olives and scallions. They would do.
So I salted a pot of water and brought it to a boil, then tossed in the macaroni.
Meanwhile, I chopped up the scallions and sliced the black olives.
When the macaroni had about five more minutes to cook, I began to heat a little bit of butter in a small pan over medium heat.
When the macaroni was done, I drained it and tossed it into the pan with the butter, which had browned quite fragrantly. It sizzled!
Stir to coat the macaroni, toss in the vegetables, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and I had a very tasty dish.
Most of the time when I experiment like that, I end of up with something that seems good the first time, but when I revisit it, its initial appeal becomes a mystery.
Not this time. I've prepared this dish at least four times already, and each time it seems to get better. I think I've found a keeper!
