One of my favorite resources is The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison. The recipes are the same ones used at the Greens restaurant in San Francisco, a terrific place for dining and enjoying a view of the bay. I decided to make Green's linguine with caramelized onions and walnuts, but time was short, so I made some changes. The recipe calls for homemade rosemary pasta, but I used fresh pasta from the grocery instead. It also requires caramelizing onions, and luckily the last of my onion jam was stashed in the freezer. Using it shortened the cooking time considerably, but now my supply is gone. Note to self: Make onion jam this week.
This dish is so toothsome (love that word), so rich, so good! The sauce coats the pasta beautifully and the flavors of the herbs, onions, walnuts and cheese create a memorable flavor. Next time I'll make the pasta from scratch. Maybe. 
Linguine with caramelized onions and walnuts (from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison)
1 pound fresh linguine or homemade herb pasta (recipe follows)
1/2 cup walnuts
4 large onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon dried sage or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 4 thyme branches or 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water
1 tablespoon walnut oil
ground pepper
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
Parmesan
Note: I used my own caramelized onions. If you have some on hand, put them into the warmed oil with the herbs and skip to step 4.
1. Roast walnuts in an oven set at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes until they smell toasted. Then chop them into pieces. Set aside.
2. Quarter the onions and slice them as thinly and evenly as possible. Warm the butter and olive oil slowly in a wide skillet along with the bay leaves, rosemary and the sage or thyme
3. When the oils are hot, add the onions and salt. Stir well and cook slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, then frequently as they take on a deep golden brown color. Be sure not to leave any onions stuck to the upper sides of the skillet as they will burn.
4. Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic and the wine. Raise the heat and cook until the wine has reduced to a syrupy consistency, then add the water and the walnut oil. Stir well and cook slowly until it has reduced by about 1/3, leaving enough liquid to make a little sauce. Add more water if necessary and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook pasta and drain well. Add it to the onions along with half of the walnuts and the all of the Gruyere. Mix well, then serve on heated plates with more walnuts on top. Add Parmesan if desired.
Herb pasta
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon olive oil
Combine the herbs with the flour and the salt, add the egg and the oil. Using your fingers, lightly work the egg into the flour until it is well distributed. When combined, press the dough together to form a dough. Turn it out onto the counter and begin to work it. If it's too dry, add a few drops of water. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it feels supple and smooth. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Then roll out and cut into linguine.
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