Real Food, 15: Pasta with Sausage, Basil, & Mustard

(the quality of this pictures looked much better on the camera screen....)

My last blog update was July 21st. That is absurd. I apologize for my laziness.

To try and redeem myself, please enjoy this FANTASTIC recipe I found in Food & Wine magazine. I have been going through all my old food magazines and tearing out recipes to try. This was a big hit! We had enough for 2 nights, and by about 1:00 on the second day, I was wishing it was dinner time so I could eat it again. The fact that I liked this dish so much was actually a surprise to me--I was leery of the mustard. But, the mustard flavor is really subtle, and really good!

Pair this with the Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic recipe below (also from Food & Wine) and enjoy yourself a great dinner!

Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard

adapted from Food & Wine magazine, 2002

Ingredients:

1 lb. whole wheat medium shells

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, meat crumbled

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp. grainy mustard (NOT the bright yellow stuff you use on hot dogs)

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1/2 to 1 cup thinly sliced basil

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half.

3. Add the cream, mustard, and red pepper and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

4. Stir in the pasta and basil and serve.

Caramelized Broccoli with Garlic

from Food & Wine magazine, 2007

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 heads of broccoli, stems peeled and halved lengthwise

1/2 cup water

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add broccoli, cut side down. Cover and cook over moderate heat until richly browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the water, cover and cook until just tender and water has mostly evaporated, about 7 minutes.

3. Drain any remaining water and add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil to skillet. Saute the garlic and crushed red pepper until garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Season broccoli with salt and pepper and drizzle with lemon juice just before serving.

Enjoy!