Three Good Grapes: [Almost] Just like Italy Pasta

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

[Almost] Just like Italy Pasta

Z and I had the opportunity to travel Italy a year ago for what was a most memorable and fascinating trip for both of us. Since we'd both been to Italy before, but not together, we made this a wine and culinary trip and hired a former Michelin star restaurateur to take us through Tuscany and show us her secrets. One secret was a tiny family owned restaurant in Greve in Chianti where I had a wild boar pasta that I will always remember as the best pasta I've ever had.

Needless to say, after that trip I've tried to recreate many a pasta dish in our own kitchen. We've settled on two recipes that we love [almost] just as much as our Italy trip. Today's recipe is very simple whereas the second pasta recipe takes eight hours to cook in the slow cooker. This Italian Sausage Linguine will be popular at your dinner table and satisfy your craving for authentic Italian pasta.

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

3 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/3 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup white wine

1 pound mild (or hot) ground Italian sausage

1 green pepper, sliced

½ onion, sliced

1 pound cooked linguine

shredded parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish

Preparation:

1) Cook linguine according to package instructions

2) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add 2 cloves minced garlic. Cook, about 1 minute in oil. Add green pepper and sliced onion. Cook 3 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add sausage. Cook until lightly browned.

2) In a food processor, add tomatoes, paste, 4 tbsp parsley, 1 clove minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, 6 tbsp olive oil, diced onion, white wine. Puree.