This is such an easy pasta to throw together and so rich and satisfying. Sometimes less is more and the basic ingredients can really sing when left to their own devices.
2 Tbsp Olive oil 1/4 tsp Oregano 1 Onion, minced 1 Carrot, minced 4-5 cloves Garlic, crushed with side of knife. 1-24 oz bottle of Passata 1 Bay Leaf
Fresh Basil Pecorino Roman
Preparation:
Remove your sausage from its casing, and cube it, sear it in a pan until it starts to release some of its fat and break in into smaller pieces, then drain it.
To the same pan add your onion and garlic, and allow it to sauté and soften. Add back the sausage and your passata, bay leaf, oregano and cook for at least one hour. Then add your fresh basil and allow it to continue cooking until the oil separates. I prefer to add the basil later, as I feel if it cooks too long it loses flavor.
Before you drain your pasta, remove about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of the pasta water. Drain your pasta and add it back to the pan with the reserved pasta water and allow it to finish cooking.
The addition of the pasta water really creates a silky sauce and will vastly improve the final dish. I find this to be true for most pasta dishes. I finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
This sauce is packed with flavor. The roasted peppers complement the Italian sausage well. I like to use a mix of peppers, but I find that green bell peppers are too bitter, so I omit them.
The only slightly time consuming part is the prep of the peppers, but if you do a few extra, you can use them for multiple dishes like salads and sandwiches.
6 Italian Sausages, mild or spicy, cubed, seared and drained.
1 Onion, minced
1 Carrot, minced
1 stalk Celery, minced
4-5 cloves Garlic, crushed with side of knife.
1 24 oz bottle of Passata
1 Bay Leaf
Pecorino Romano
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 375°F, cut your peppers in half, and take away the stems. Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper skin side down and brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Bake them until well roasted. It usually takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove them and allow them to cool.
Remove your sausage from its casing, and cube it, sear it in a pan until it starts to release some of its fat and then drain it.
To the same pan add your onion, carrot, and celery and garlic, and allow it to sauté and soften. This is your soffritto.
Add back the sausage and your passata and bay leaf and cook for at least one to two hours.
Serve with pasta of your choice, but tube pasta is a good option. I finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
Homemade Italian Sausage and Pepper Sauce
This sauce is packed with flavor. The roasted peppers complement the Italian sausage well. I like to use a mix of peppers, but I find that green bell peppers are too bitter, so I omit them.
6Italian Sausagesmild or spicy, cubed, seared and drained.
1Onionminced
1Carrotminced
1stalk Celeryminced
4-5clovesGarliccrushed with side of knife.
1 24ozbottle of Passata
1Bay Leaf
Pecorino Romano
Equipment
Heavy Pot
Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F, cut your peppers in half, and take away the stems. Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper skin side down and brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Bake them until well roasted. It usually takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove them and allow them to cool.
Remove your sausage from its casing, and cube it, sear it in a pan until it starts to release some of its fat and then drain it.
To the same pan add your onion, carrot, and celery and garlic, and allow it to sauté and soften. This is your soffritto.
Add back the sausage and your passata and bay leaf and cook for at least one to two hours.
Serve with pasta of your choice, but tube pasta is a good option. I finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
When you look closely at the word jambalaya, you notice that it is actually three words. “Jambon”, from the French for ham, “ala”, as in the style of and “ya”, the West African word for rice. Shortened and pronounced as jambalaya.
Jambalaya is one of those dishes that seems to be claimed by both Creole and Cajun alike, so here’s my hat in the ring.
It older times these dishes were cooked over open fires, which imparted a nice smoky flavor. At a lot of festivals and cook offs in Louisiana, they still are. The add-on of my secret ingredient, liquid smoke, gives you that flavor without having to have an open fire.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 lb. lean Pork, cut into ½ inch squares
1 lb. Andouille, Creole or Chaurice sausage, cut into ¼ inch pieces
2 large Onions, finely chopped
½ cup Green Pepper
1/2 cup Celery
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley
3 Sprigs fresh Thyme, or ½ tsp. dried thyme
Pinch of ground Cloves
A few grindings of fresh Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, if you do not like it spicy, this can be omitted.
1 – Bay leaf
1 tsp. Salt
4 ½ cups of low sodium Chicken stock
1 tsp. of Liquid smoke
2 cups of white medium grain Rice
¼ cup of green Onions, to finish
Preparation:
Melt butter to a large heavy saucepan or cast iron stockpot. Sauté onions, green pepper, garlic and lean pork for 5 minutes and then add the parsley, thyme and green onion and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
Then add all the rest of the spices and sausage and slowly brown for 5 minutes. Then add the rice, stir and coat thoroughly and then the stock and bring back to a boil, now add the liquid smoke, stir again and cover, and turn heat down to low.
Cook for approx. 35 min. stirring on occasion until liquid is fully absorbed, Take off the heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in green onions and serve in deep bowls with hot sauce.
Jambalaya Recipe: A Taste of Louisiana’s Best
When you look closely at the word jambalaya, you notice that it is actually three words. “Jambon”, from the French for ham, “ala”, as in the style of and “ya”, the West African word for rice. Shortened and pronounced as jambalaya.
1lb.AndouilleCreole or Chaurice sausage, cut into ¼ inch pieces
2large Onionsfinely chopped
½cupGreen Pepper
1/2cupCelery
4Garlic clovesfinely chopped
2Tbsp.chopped fresh Parsley
3Sprigs fresh Thymeor ½ tsp. dried thyme
Pinchof ground Cloves
A few grindings of fresh Black Pepper
1/2tsp.Cayenne Pepperif you do not like it spicy, this can be omitted.
1Bay leaf
1tsp.Salt
4 ½cupsof low sodium Chicken stock
1tsp.of Liquid smoke
2cupsof white medium grain Rice
¼cupof green Onionsto finish
Equipment
Heavy Pot with Lid
Method
Melt butter to a large heavy saucepan or cast iron stockpot. Sauté onions, green pepper, garlic and lean pork for 5 minutes and then add the parsley, thyme and green onion and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
Then add all the rest of the spices and sausage and slowly brown for 5 minutes. Then add the rice, stir and coat thoroughly and then the stock and bring back to a boil, now add the liquid smoke, stir again and cover, and turn heat down to low.
Cook for approx. 35 min. stirring on occasion until liquid is fully absorbed, Take off the heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in green onions and serve in deep bowls with hot sauce.
Notes
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