Here's a Couple of Delicious wet, sloppy and yummy Pasta Recipies
Alice likes things baked, I like to cook things “a la minute”. These two recipes will give the best of both.
This original recipe from “The Pioneer Woman Magazine Holiday 2022” is for Baked Pasta with Sausage, Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes but when I read through the recipe, it made no sense to bake it. I assume the reason might have been to give yourself a little time while it was in the oven to greet and socialize.
But, if you’re cooking for two people (original recipe for for 6) that was the last thing I was worried about. So here are the ingredients and my process.
about 3 or 4 oz. of sundried tomatoes packed in oil with oil reserved Kosher salt good olive oil about 5 oz Rigatoni 1/2 pound of Italian sausage crumbled 1 large garlic clove smashed and chopped 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes or more to taste a rounded tablespoon of flour 1 1/2 cups of cream and half and half mixed about a cup of grated parmesan / pecorino Romano enough baby kale (5-6 cups) to shrink down to a cup when cooked black pepper, lots 1/2 cup grated Mozerella cheese
Get a pot of boiling water going with kosher salt and olive oil in it. The oil keeps the pasta from getting sticky and adhering to the sauce (very important when you have cheese and cream in a sauce) and the salt allows the water to boil at a lower temperature so that the pasta can cook through and still have a good texture. When the pasta is almost done, turn off the heat and add the kale to the pasta and cover. Meanwhile, pour off the oil from the tomatoes and heat it in a pan. Add the crumbled sausage. Don’t over work it. Browned chunks are nice to keep ground meat from looking like dog food. When the sausage is about done, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and black pepper (don’t skimp). About a minute later, add the flour and cook until slightly browning then add the cream until it just starts to thicken. Then add half of the parm and all of the mozz. Turn off the heat and let it set until the pasta and kale are ready. With a slotted spoon, put the kale and pasta into the sausage mixture. Give it a good stir and if it is too thick, add some of the pasta water to get the right consistency. Keep in mind, it will continue to thicken if you add more parm at the table so a little too saucy is better than thick and sticky. Serve with crusty garlic bread and parsley if desired.
With this we had a pretty odd wine. I opened a 2016 Jorche Antica Masseria Primitivo di Manduria DOP, Apulia IT (15% abv) no idea what it cost, hopefully not much. Still debating if it is a thumbs up or down. Initially, it was just an out an out monster of ripe fruit and aggressive tannin. As it aired, there seemed to be an emerging middle but almost the instant it hit the palate the tannin just overwhelmed all of one’s senses. A couple of days later (needless to say, we hardly put a dent in the bottle at dinner time), the nose seems to be developing a mercaptan scent though not totally unpleasant. On the palate, there is now clearly a black fruit middle and that does seem to have settled the tannin a bit. Still overly tannic, however. We’ve got one more bottle. I’ll make a note to hang onto it for a while. Maybe it is already too late. Perhaps when this wine was an infant, it might have had enough youthful fruit to match the gigantic tannin.
On a roll with pasta, and still trying to come up with a dish to tame the Jorche Primitivo, Alice suggested we try Sausage-Spinach Lasagna Soup with Ricotta Dumplings from the same edition of the “Pioneer Woman” knowing that I love lasagna but not a big fan of baked pasta. As usual, it would have made an enormous pot for 6 people so I cut the recipe and changed the process a bit too.
olive oil as needed Kosher salt 1/2 pound of crumbled Italian Sausage 2 large garlic cloves smashed and chopped 1 small onion chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 14 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes broken up by hand 32 oz. low sodium or home made chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano a nice pinch or two of hot pepper flakes a generous cup of dried lasagna noodles broken into small pieces 4 cups baby spinach stems removed 1/4 cup fresh or a couple of tablespoons freshly dried basil
Ricotta Dumplings 1/2 cup fresh ricotta 1/4 cup parmesan cheese plus a cup or so to garnish the soup 2 Tablespoons fresh or a tablespoons freshly dried basil pinch kosher salt lots of freshly cracked black pepper
In about four cups of boiling water with oil and salt added, add the broken pasta and cook until done. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a medium hot pan of olive oil. When lightly browned add the onion. When the onion is soft and just starting to brown around the edges, add the garlic and hot pepper flakes. When those are soft and aromatic, add the wine and let the fumes evaporate and the wine become saucy. Add all of the seasonings, the tomatoes and the chicken broth. When everything is fully integrated, add the spinach and the pasta including any pasta water not absorbed by the pasta. Give it a few stirs and as soon as the spinach is wilted serve with about three ricotta balls per bowl and a nice sprinkling of parm with crusty garlic bread on the side.
We gave the Jorche another go, but, it was still a very tough unappealing wine.
So, today we had steak, chicken and shrimp fondue with mushrooms, cauliflower and brussels sprouts along with a variety of sauces and tried something a bit classier and more friendly. We opened our last bottle of 1996 Chateau Duluc St Julien, Haut Medoc Bordeaux FR probably no more than $10 when I bought it. Duluc is a second wine from Chateau Branaire Ducru fourth growth. This wine is just about perfect right now. Though not possessing the class and pedigree of its Grand Cru parent, this is a very hearty, rich Bordeaux with all the stuff you’d expect at this age; nice deep red color, complex nose of fruit and olives with a mouth coating palate of herbs, leather and tobacco. The finish couldn’t be nicer. It seems to encapsulate all that proceeds it. So long old friend!
Enjoy in Good Health
A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner
