Pasta with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Pasta with Sausage and Tomato Sauce, originally uploaded by essgee51.

[yet another disclaimer about lack of recent posts]

The lesson I learned yesterday was that I'd been undercooking my pasta sauces. This time, I waited an extra 10 or so minutes till the sauce was thick and, well, saucy, pretty much all the fluid evaporated and bits of crust were starting to form on the bottom of the pan. Level up! The scads of fresh herbs in the garden helped as well.

This recipe makes enough to very generously sauce 1/2 lb. of pasta, or barely sauce 1 lb.

• 2 T olive oil (will reduce amount and render the sausages first next time)
• 1 c onion, chopped
• red pepper flakes to taste (used about 1 t)
• 1/2 package turkey kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1" rounds (about 2-1/2 regular links or one long one)
• 2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 3-4 long chive stalks, chopped, plus more for garnish

Boil water and cook pasta. Reserve about a cup of pasta water, just in case.

Meanwhile, put oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the red pepper flakes and onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes, till onions begin to soften.

Add sausage. Cook till meat begins to brown, flipping halfway through, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Add tomatoes and some of their juice. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, till mixture is thick and saucy, 20-30 minutes.

Turn off heat. Stir herbs into sauce. If it's too thick, add some of the pasta water and mix well. Adjust seasoning then serve over pasta.

Oregano Tomato Sauce

Flowerful Lunch, originally uploaded by essgee51.

An embarrassment of riches led to this delicious, simple thing: we let our herbs flower for too long. Though we will have to get new seedlings, at least our meals in the near future will be flavorful and pretty. This makes enough sauce for two hearty servings of pasta (about 1/2 box of whole wheat).

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 c onion,minced (1/2 onion)
• 1 T garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
• 1/8-1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 T minced oregano, plus 1-2T blossoms (or just more leaves)

Put oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, then cook till softening, about 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes; saute till fragrant (1-2 min).

Add tomatoes and liquid from can; bring to a healthy simmer and cook till the mixture reaches desired, saucy consistency (anywhere from 10-25 minutes, depending on your tastes - I tend to like some body left in the tomatoes). Add salt and pepper.

Add herbs, then cook a minute or two more. Serve over pasta with additional herbs for garnish and some oil/pasta water if needed for extra body.

Pasta with Sausage, Cream and Cheese

I was ready to have leftover  split pea soup (made with ham hocks, naturally) for dinner before I came across this recipe. John kindly bought ingredients, and we had a rich, flavorful dinner. Next time: more blue cheese (we could hardly taste it, even after tripling the amount in the recipe). This would also be a good one-pot meal with a bunch of spinach or other leafy greens added. Tweaked version below.

• 8 oz. pasta
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1 in. lengths (6 oz. in original)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup loosely packed basil, chopped (oregano in the original)
• 1-1/2 oz. blue cheese (1/2 oz in the original)
• 1/4 cup half and half (cream in the original)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, for garnish  (a treat, as we didn't have Parmesan handy)

Bring lots of salted water to a boil and cook pasta till done. Reserve a half cup or so of pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown, about 5-10 minutes.

Add wine, turn to high, and reduce for about 2 minutes. Add herbs, blue cheese and cream, cooking till the cheese is melted and the liquid has begun to thicken.

Mix with the pasta, adding pasta water or additional cheese till a nice, saucy consistency has been reached. Serve, passing around Parmigiano-Reggiano/Parmesan to garnish.

Mirepoix Tomato Sauce

Alright, not quite, since the proportions of onion, celery and carrot are equal. But it's a quick, simple sauce, straight out of Bittman, and its aromatic sweetness was the perfect counterpoint to the chicken breasts in ancho chile sauce that John made to go with it.

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1 28 oz. can tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook till tender, 5-10 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes and add them to the pot, with salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook till the tomatoes break down and the mixture is saucy, about 10-25 minutes.

Serve over pasta or meat.