Fresh pasta made from whole wheat flour, tossed with brown butter and sage, is a weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent the afternoon cooking. The nuttiness of whole wheat suits butter and herb equally well. You will have pasta dough and a simple, warm sauce ready in under an hour.

Serves 2. 45 minutes, 35 at the stove.

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1. Mound 1 cup [120 g] whole wheat flour on a clean counter or large board and make a well in the centre. Crack 1 egg into the well, add a pinch of salt, and whisk the egg with a fork. Draw flour from the sides into the egg a little at a time, stirring and incorporating as you go until a shaggy mass forms.
2. Knead the dough with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back, turning it a quarter turn, and repeating until it is smooth and elastic. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest on the counter for 20 minutes while you set a large pot of salted water to boil.
3. Cut the dough in half, flour your work surface lightly, and roll one piece as thin as you can, about the thickness of a dime, using a rolling pin or wine bottle. Fold it in thirds, roll thin again, then cut into rough fettuccine-width strands by hand. Dust with flour, set aside on a plate, and repeat with the second piece of dough.
4. Mince 2 cloves garlic and tear 6 fresh sage leaves into small pieces. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat, add 3 tablespoons butter, and let it melt and foam, swirling often, until it turns nutty brown and smells toasted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sage in the last minute, stirring gently, then remove from heat.4 min
5. When the water boils hard, add the pasta and stir gently. It will float to the surface and cook through in 2 to 3 minutes total. Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander.3 min
6. Toss the hot pasta with the brown butter sauce, adding a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to loosen it if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between two bowls and serve at once.

Note Swap dried sage for fresh if that is what you have, using one-third the amount. Leftover pasta dough keeps wrapped and chilled for two days, or freeze it. Serve with a bitter green salad and a crisp white wine.