wisconsin tomatoes #2

herb butter-and-goat cheese linguine with fresh tomatoes
roasted garlic bread

Another tomato-filled meal: linguine with a sauce of butter, shallots, herbs, white wine, and goat cheese. Very creamy and rich. My husband doesn't like dill, so I only topped mine with dill and he used basil. This meal was so close to being entirely produced in Wisconsin. Dang! Only the dried herbs were from outside our area of the state. Please leave me a comment if you try anything and let me know how you like it!

Salt and pepper
1 pound linguine pasta (I prefer fresh)
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
6 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (or 4 tsp. dried)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon (or 4 tsp. dried)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)
2 cups chopped multicolored heirloom tomatoes

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.

2. While the pasta is working, in a serving bowl, add the crumbled goat cheese. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the white wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, dill, tarragon and thyme. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water.

3. Add the pasta to the goat cheese. Pour the herb sauce on top, season with pepper and toss for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and toss gently for another minute; season with salt and pepper.

from Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine