Spaghetti with butter and sage

INGREDIENTS: (Serves two)

4 ounces (120g) spaghetti
Fresh sage, enough to make 2 tablespoons roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15g) butter
Salt

PROCEDURE:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot full of boiling salted water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, chop the fresh sage leaves and measure out the butter. The proportions are flexible ... use a little less if you're really worried about saturated fat; a little more if you want plenty of butter flavor.

3. When the pasta is done, drain it and toss it in a warm bowl with the butter and sage and salt to taste until the butter melts and the herbs are distributed.

Butter-sauteed shrimp

INGREDIENTS: (Serves two)

Enough shrimp for two, maybe a dozen large or 20 medium
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon (15g) butter
Dried red-pepper flakes
Salt

PROCEDURE:

1. Peel the shrimp and devein them if you like. Squeeze the lemon into a cup and discard any seeds.

2. Peel the garlic cloves and mince them fine. You should have at least 1 tablespoon, or more to taste. I like this dish garlicky.

3. Melt the butter in a nonstick sautee pan over medium-high heat. Put in the minced garlic and dried red-pepper flakes to taste, then add the peeled shrimp and toss just until they cook through and turn pink. Quickly stir in the lemon juice, check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve while sizzling.

MATCHING WINE:
Chardonnay - yes, in a "buttery" style - is an obvious choice with butter-based dishes, and the Colin-Deléger 2000 Saint-Aubin featured in Monday's 30 Second Wine Advisor article about oaky and not-oaky Chardonnays went very well. Happily, so did the Kim Crawford 2003 Marlborough Chardonnay from New Zealand, even though it was not buttery in style.