Sausage, Basil & Mustard Orecchiette
Orecchi--what? Orecchiette pasta - "orecchio" (ear) and "etto" (small), is an ear-shaped pasta from the southeast region of Italy known as Puglia. I will admit, I stumbled over the pronunciation the first couple of times, so listening to it here will have you sounding like a pro. This isn't a super common pasta so you might have to go to your local Whole Foods or Fresh Market for this one.
I love that these oval beauties hold just the right amount of sauce and have more of a country Italian look than your standard penne. The best part? This pasta is super-easy to make and takes no time at all!
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 lb Orecchiette pasta (You may substitute with shells or penne)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 6-8 mild or hot Italian sausage links (I used mild), removed from casings and crumbled
- 3/4 cup white wine (I used a dry chardonnay)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup of thinly sliced basil
- Basil leaves and parmesan for garnish
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Follow package directions.
- Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet.
- Add sausage and brown on med-high heat, 5-7 minutes.
- Add wine and simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced by half.
- Add cream, mustard and red pepper stirring to combine, simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat, add pasta and basil, coat to combine.
- Garnish with basil leaves and parmesan, serve immediately.
Photo by Jonathan Stiers ©2015 | Recipe adapted from Food & Wine
