Herbed Pasta with Tomatoes

This is a very simple dish that is great when you have fresh tomatoes and herbs. It can be ready in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup pasta- your choice of shape
water for cooking

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 or 3 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 or 3 Tablespoons of fresh chopped oregano
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1 small to medium size tomato, chopped
Sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste

Salt and heat the water to boiling.
Add the pasta and cook to package directions.
Drain.
Add the pasta back to the pan and add the olive oil, herbs, salt/pepper and chopped tomato.
Toss.
Serve.

Enough for 4 good size servings.

Vary your herbs for a different flavor.

Herbs: Fresh, Frozen, Or Dried

Obviously, the tasting herbs are fresh.
But, what happens when you don't have fresh herbs?
And how much should you use?

Some recipes call for fresh herbs, but many of us don't normally have them sitting around the house.
So, you have two options.
You either use frozen or dried.

After the fresh, frozen has more flavor than dried.
But, dried is easier.

Frozen herbs are best put into recipes that are to be cooked.

If you want to freeze you herbs, wash and dry them.
Next you can put them whole into bags and lay them flat in the freezer.
When you want some, just open the bag and take some out.

When they thaw they will be wet and hard to cut. And they will be limp, of course.
So, I just like to snip them with scissors.

Another way to freeze them is to wash, dry, and chop them. Than you put some in a ice cube tray. Add some water to fill and freeze.
When frozen pop them out and store in a freezer bag.

When you need them, just take a cube out and add it to the recipe.

Frozen amounts are pretty much equivalent to fresh.

Your next option is using dried herbs.
This is so easy.
You either dry your own herbs or just buy them from the store.

But, don't use the full amount of dried that you would fresh.
Use half the amount.
So, if it calls for 1 Tablespoon fresh, use 1/2 Tablespoon(1-1/2 teaspoon) dried.
But, if the recipe calls for leaves and you just have ground, use 1/3. That would be 1 teaspoon for every tablespoon that the recipe calls for.