Bucatini with Italian Sausage & Marinara Sauce
So simple, so satisfying: Top this week’s bucatini with our housemade sauce and cooked and crumbled Italian sausage.
Ingredients:
1 pound bucatini
1 pound Italian sausage
Nonna Pat’s Marinara Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Grana-style cheese
4 tablespoons micro basil
Method:
1. Cook the bucatini for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, 1 tablespoon butter and marinara sauce, tossing to combine thoroughly. Serve with a grated Grana-style cheese and a sprinkling of micro basil.
Sweet Italian Sausage & Orzo Ribollita
This spin on the classic Italian soup features puttanesca sauce, orzo pasta and toasted Pomodoro bread.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for drizzling over the bread
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 quart Nonna Pat’s puttanesca sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 3-inch Parmesan cheese rind
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons combined fresh thyme leaves and chopped parsley
1 bunch Lacinato kale, greens removed from ribs and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ cup orzo pasta
4-6 slices pomodoro loaf
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sausage and minced garlic. Cook, crumbling the sausage into small pieces, until the onion is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Add the puttanesca sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, herbs and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the orzo and kale, and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and kale is wilted.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Drizzle the sliced pomodoro bread with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Variation: In leiu of the pomodoro bread, free free to sub in the sourdough dinner rolls crafted from this week’s starter!
Rigatoni Pasta with Nonna Pat’s Marinara Sauce & Capers
Simple and elegant, this lovely pasta packs luscious texture and flavor thanks to the addition of fruity capers.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 jar Nonna Pat’s marinara sauce
1 pound chicken Italian sausage
¼ cup olives, pitted and sliced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Freshly-grated Grana cheese, for serving
Method:
1. Cook rigatoni for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook chicken Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, marinara sauce, capers and olives (if using), along with butter, tossing to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if pasta mixture is dry. To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and grated Grana cheese.
Polenta with Chicken Italian Sausage & Sautéed Summer Vegetables
This creamy dish is bright with Italian flavors, courtesy of pungent mixed peppers and summer squash.
Ingredients:
Polenta
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup water
4 links chicken Italian sausage
2 red Bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1-2 Piment d’Espellete peppers, seeded and thinly sliced*
2 mixed summer squash, washed and thinly sliced
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Grated Grana-style cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
*Depending on your heat preference, feel free to tweak the quantity of these smoky, slightly-spicy peppers to your liking.
Method:
1. Bring chicken stock and ¼ cup water to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan. Add polenta mix in a slow stream, whisking until incorporated. Simmer, stirring frequently with a long-handled whisk or wooden spoon, until liquid is absorbed and polenta is thick and soft, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausages in a half inch of water until done and remove to a plate and keep warm. Discard cooking water. In the same skillet, add both varieties of peppers, summer squash, garlic and onions along with a drizzle of olive oil and turn heat up to high. Sauté vegetables, turning just occasionally until all just begin to blister and char. Add sausage, turning down heat, and continue cooking until the sausages are browned. Slice sausages diagonally in large slices to serve.
3. Remove polenta from heat and stir in Grana cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with sausage and pepper mixture. Serve immediately.
Pear Sauce
This lovely sauce is amazing on top of freshly-baked scones, or enjoyed with your morning oatmeal.
Ingredients:
4-6 D’Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. Combine pears, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears have softened, about 20 minutes.
2. Use an immersion blender to process the pear sauce until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, mash with a potato masher. (You can also transfer the cooked pear mixture to a food processor or blender to process, just make sure the pear sauce has cooled down first.)
3. Once the pear sauce has cooled down, pour into glass or plastic containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator, sauce will keep in the fridge for one week.
Matera Perline Beans with Green Garlic Scapes & Pea Vines
Also topped with Italian sausage, this hearty dish is still incredibly light and flavorful.
Ingredients:
1½ cups Vero Matera Perline Beans, soaked overnight in a large pot of water, and drained
1 bay leaf
½ pound Skagit River Ranch Italian sausage (optional)
½ pound pea vines, trimmed of any tough ends
4 green garlic scapes, trimmed of ends and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Parmesan cheese, for grating
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Rinse the beans and transfer them to a large saucepan. Add the bay leaf and 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until nearly tender, about 1½ hours. Season the beans with salt and simmer until they are tender, but still hold their shape, about 45 minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, if using, cook sausage in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, breaking up into small pieces. Once cooked through, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add olive oil to the same pan, then add pea vines and green garlic scapes, season with salt and pepper, and briefly sauté, about 1-2 minutes, until vines are tender and scapes are fragrant.
3. Add beans to pan with pea vines and scapes, then add back in Italian sausage and butter, lightly tossing everything together. Season with salt and pepper as needed and topped with fresh-grated cheese.
Italian Sausage-Lentil Soup with Leeks
This longtime family recipe is a winning New Year’s dish. Fun fact: Lentils are believed to bring good luck and prosperity throughout the new year because they resemble coins!
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned with white and light green parts chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for topping
Method:
- In a large pot, brown the sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the olive oil and then sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes, sausage, wine, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 and ½ hours. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
Pasta with Italian Sausage, Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms
Also tossed with sweet onions and a topping of Grana-style cheese, this pasta is incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 pound strozzapreti pasta, or other pasta of your choice
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 bunch Lacinato kale, stripped of tough ribs and torn into large pieces
2 cups Portobello mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup Grana-style cheese, grated
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the strozzapreti is al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until done, breaking into bite-sized chunks with a spoon. Remove the sausage to a plate and reserve. Wipe any excess sausage grease from the pan and then heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet. Once warm, add the onions, mushroom and garlic, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and sweat until mushrooms are tender and garlic is fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Add in kale and cook until just slightly wilted, about another minute or so.
3. Add drained pasta and sausage to the skillet with the vegetables, then toss everything together with the rest of the olive oil and butter. If pasta seems a little dry, mix in reserved pasta water. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with Grana-style cheese to sprinkle over pasta.
Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, Sautéed Kale and Porcini Salt
Also tossed with garlic, onions and a topping of Asiago Pressa cheese, this pasta is incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni pasta, or other pasta of your choice
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 cups baby kale, stripped of larger stems and torn into large pieces
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup Asiago Pressa cheese, grated
½ teaspoon Porcini salt
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until done, breaking into bite-sized chunks with a spoon. Remove the sausage to a plate and reserve. Wipe any excess sausage grease from the pan and then heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in the skillet. Once warm, add the onions and garlic, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and sweat until onions are tender and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in kale and cook until just slightly wilted, about another minute or so.
3. Add drained pasta and sausage to the skillet with the kale mixture, then toss everything together with the rest of the olive oil and butter. If pasta seems a little dry, mix in reserved pasta water. Check for seasoning and add a healthy pinch of Porcini salt and the Asiago Pressa cheese. Serve with additional Asiago Pressa-style cheese to sprinkle over pasta as desired.
Campanelle with Italian Chicken Sausage & Grana Roasted Broccolini
Also tossed with lemon juice and zest, this light and lovely pasta is a snap to prepare.
Ingredients:
1 pound Lagana Foods campanelle pasta
1 pound Italian chicken sausage
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
Freshly-grated Grana cheese, for serving
Grana Cheese-Roasted Broccolini (see recipe)
Method:
1. Cook the campanelle for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the Italian chicken sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until no longer pink, breaking into bite-sized pieces with a spoon. Add in cooked pasta, lemon juice and zest, along with the butter, tossing to combine. Add in the roasted broccolini. Taste for seasoning and then add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water or chicken stock if pasta mixture seems dry. To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and additional grated Grana cheese.