I’m not usually one to brag, but i just have to say: I do a damn good job of making a tasty meal out of random stuff from the fridge. This little ditty was not exception.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the foundation of the dish is a batch of homemade spinach pasta that I churned out over winter break. I even went as far as storing it in the freezer, which I’ve never tried before. I was worried that it would come out either super chewy, or soft and brittle after leaving the deep freeze, but it was just as toothsome as the day it came out of the roller!
I know it sounds scary, but if you have the resources, I’d recommend giving fresh pasta a try.
All that being said, this recipe went pretty well, so much so that I would consider churning it out again. If nothing else, it’s a great exercise in discovering the compatibility of flavors (a culinary endeavor that I thoroughly enjoy), and could provide an alternate to boring old spaghetti and red sauce.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb pasta – cooked, 1 cup of pasta water reserved
- 1 shallot – diced
- 1 red pepper – chopped small
- 3 medium tomatoes off the vine – chopped small (leave the seeds in)
- 10 oz arugula – washed and dried
- 2 hot Italian sausages – pre-cooked and diced
- Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup basil – chopped
- Evoo (as usual)
My steps:
- Cook the pasta, and reserve 1 cup of the water before draining it out, giving it a quick rise in cold water, and setting it aside.
- Precook the sausages if you didn’t purchase pre-cooked sausages.
- Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove, and heat 1 tablespoon of evoo over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, place the diced shallots in the pan, and stir until they start to soften. (3-4 minutes)
- Add the chopped peppers and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and diced sausages, and enough of the reserved water to JUST TOUCH everything in the pan – in my case it was about 1/3 of a cup.
- Place the arugula on top of the sizzling veggies, and let it sit for a few minutes, or just enough time to…
- Toss the pasta in a drizzle of olive oil, and the fresh, chopped basil.
- Fold the veggie/sausage mixture into the reducing arugula for 1-2 minutes, integrating the flavors, and allowing the greens to finish wilting. Add more water and/or oil if the mixture starts looking or feeling dry.
- Serve it all up by placing a scoop of pasta on the plate, followed by a healthy portion of the veggie/sausage mixture, and – if you have it – some grated Parmesan.
- Also, drink some wine with it. Because wine is delicious, and you worked hard, so you deserve it.
Saluti!
Love, Food & Beer 