Of the many pasta dishes I make for myself at home, Pasta with Sausages and Cream is one of my all-time favorites, and the one I turn to when it’s cold and rainy outside, when I’m moody or when I just need something really, really delicious at a moment’s notice. I hope you enjoy this recipe every bit as much as I do.
Pasta with Sausages and Cream
2 small red onions, chopped semi-finely
1 large can (about 32 ounces) of whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes, removed from juices and chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 to 3 dried red chili peppers or smoked chili peppers (experiment here if you’d like), crumbled
5 good sized links of Italian style sausage from your butcher, non-spiced and non-flavored, removed from casing and crumbled
1 scant cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound fusili, rigatoni or similar dried (boxed) pasta, prepared according to package, but not rinsed
1. In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the chopped onions. Sautee until well browned.
2. Add sausage, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, black pepper and chili peppers. Stir occasionally until the sausage is thoroughly browned. Let it stick periodically to the bottom (without burning!), scraping off the layer, then repeat several times until the sausage is a nice, deep dark brown color and all ingredients have melded together, about ten minutes.
3. Add chopped tomatoes, making sure that you removed as much of their juice as possible before putting them into the skillet. Cook just until they start breaking up.
4. Add cream and let it cook a minute or two, until the sauce has just thickened. Remove from the stove and combine sauce with the pasta. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy with a nice red wine!
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