Pasta with Sausage, Peas and Ricotta

February 2012 Recipe #1

Ingredients:

2 Large cans of San Marzano tomatoes

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Bay leaf

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 pound sweet italian sausage 

1 pound of pasta

1 pint of Ricotta

Truth be told, I have never made pasta sauce where tomato paste has not been involved. My great grandmother may be rolling over in her grave but that is a fact. This recipe is from a cool food site called food52.com. They're rockstars when it comes to cooking and beautiful photos. This is my video I made from the above recipe. Enjoy!

Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil gently in a large heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Add the bay leaf, fennel, garlic and red pepper flakes (for a milder sauce, you can add these at the end). Season with salt and pepper and saute until the fennel is soft and ever so slightly brown at the edges.

2. Add the tomatoes, stir, and lower the heat to low. Cook gently, stirring every so often, for 2 hours.

3. grill the sausages whole, then slice into 1/2-inch rounds

4. When the sauce is reduced, cook the pasta according to the package directions (but probably you should add the pasta to rapidly boiling, highly salted water; then once it comes back up to a boil, cook for 8 to 10 minutes). Retain 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.

5. Pour two-thirds of the sauce into a large saute pan, add the sausage and heat through over medium heat.

6. Add the warm pasta to the sauce, plus about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Saute, turning with tongs and shaking the pan until the sauce has been absorbed into the pasta. Add the peas at the last minute.

7. Serve with a spoonful of cold ricotta cheese

Final Product:

I went to Italy in November and while I was there I toured a cheese factory in Modena. I've never been in love with ricotta cheese. It just doesn't rank in my top 5 cheeses. In Italy? Fresh ricotta cheese with balsamic vinegar jelly? Heaven on Earth. I will never forget that first taste for as long as I live. This meal is good, but isn't in the same league as that ricotta cheese in Modena. 

The recipe is rather unorthodox for me. Fennel instead of onions and garlic. No tomato paste. It's a bit bizarre. With that being said I really liked this meal. If I do make this one again I'll be sure to add onions and garlic. Oh and by the way, Ricotta cheese in Italy is my number one cheese of all time.

3 out of 5 stars