Appetite

Nigel Slater is the author of bestselling cookbooks includingbReal Fast Food/bandbReal Cooking/b, and has won six Glenfiddich awards for his writing and art direction. His previous book,bReal Food/b, accompanied his award-winning television series and became a number one bestseller in the U.K. He lives in London.bA creamy, calming pasta dish/bbrbrWe eat not just to please our mouths and fill our bellies but to satisfy our bodies' needs. Clear, hot noodle soups fill us with energy, while anything with pasta and cream can virtually send us to sleep. What follows is a soporific supper for those times when you want to curl up and do absolutely nothing for the rest of the night.brbrbIngredients per person:/bbrgarlic: fresh and young, a whole headbrolive oil: a few glugs to drizzle over the garlicbrthyme: a few sprigsbrpasta: shell or tube shaped, 125gbrdouble cream: a small carton (150ml or so)brbrSet the oven at 200°C/Gas 6. Trim any long stems from the garlic, then put the bulbs, whole and unpeeled, in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and scatter with some of the thyme. Roast until the cloves are soft, sweet and virtually caramelised. They should be tender enough to squash between your fingers. This will take thirty to forty minutes, depending on the age of your garlic.brbrWhen the garlic is ready, tear the heads apart and squeeze the golden cloves from their papery skins, then mash them to a pulp. They should be as soft as butter.brbrPut a large, deep pan of water on to boil and cook the pasta till it is as you like it. I suggest about nine minutes. Warm the creamed garlic in a pan over a moderate heat, then pour in the cream and let it bubble briefly before crumbling in a little salt, some ground black pepper and the rest of the thyme leaves stripped from their branches.brbrDrain the pasta, but not so thoroughly that it becomes completely dry. Tip the pasta into the sauce and toss gently until all i