Here's a hearty recipe for a cold late-winter afternoon. It's a variation of a recipe I cut out of Food & Wine years ago. To make the recipe lighter, I cut back on the amount of sausage, used half-and-half instead of heavy cream, and added rapini to it, for extra nutrition and fiber.
1 pound penne pasta
3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bunch of rapini (broccoli rabe) with stems cut off
1/3 C marsala or white wine
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T half and half
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. While the water for the pasta is coming to a boil, cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat, using a spoon to break it up into small pieces. When some of the fat starts to render, add the onion. If the sausage is really lean, you may need to add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. When the onions are soft and golden, add the rapini and wine. Cover, turn the heat down, and let the rapini steam for a few minutes, until wilted. Mix the mustard and half-and-half together until smooth, then add it to the pan and toss to coat. If the sauce seems seems too dry or thick, add some of the pasta cooking water. Toss the drained pasta with the sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Keep in mind that diffferent brands of sausage vary greatly in terms of sodium and other seasonings, so you should definitely taste it first before adding extra salt. Enjoy!
1 pound penne pasta
3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bunch of rapini (broccoli rabe) with stems cut off
1/3 C marsala or white wine
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T half and half
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. While the water for the pasta is coming to a boil, cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat, using a spoon to break it up into small pieces. When some of the fat starts to render, add the onion. If the sausage is really lean, you may need to add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. When the onions are soft and golden, add the rapini and wine. Cover, turn the heat down, and let the rapini steam for a few minutes, until wilted. Mix the mustard and half-and-half together until smooth, then add it to the pan and toss to coat. If the sauce seems seems too dry or thick, add some of the pasta cooking water. Toss the drained pasta with the sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Keep in mind that diffferent brands of sausage vary greatly in terms of sodium and other seasonings, so you should definitely taste it first before adding extra salt. Enjoy!
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