InterCourses

One of the most popular “aphrodisiac” cookbooks published in recent years was Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge’s InterCourses. InterCourses has its fill of scantily clad or un-clad models lounging about holding food, it has witty banter, but most importantly, it has actual recipes. Many books in this vein, give you vague recipes for shucked oysters, chocolate, caviar and little else.

InterCourses not only provides recipes for food, but also for massage oils. It gives you ideas on when to serve foods, how they will affect the body, even which foods to try with your particular sign of the zodiac.

The recipes offer up folklore pertaining to the recipes. According to a book on love potions by Josephine Addison, rosemary holds the key to a young girl’s dreams of her husband-to-be. January 21 is St. Agnes Eve. On that day, if a girl sleeps with rosemary under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband. Once she has the husband, rosemary becomes a symbol of fidelity.

Pasta with Rosemary Cream Sauce

1/2 pound penne pasta
1/8 cup fresh rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup tomato purée
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the penne in water until al dente. In the meantime, sauté the rosemary in the oil in a saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the tomato purée. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Pour in the cream and Parmesan, stirring until heated through. Drain pasta and toss with cram sauce.

Whether you want to dream of a husband or keep yours faithful, try this pasta with the lovely infusion of rosemary.