Spaghetti with sausage

I was in the mood for pasta last night. I stopped and bought some sausage because it looked good. I then picked up a can of San Marzano tomatoes. 

I never seem to get tired of pasta served with sausage, and this is a real simple version. It may be simple, but I bet if you were served this as an entree at a restaurant, you’d put it in the ‘order again’ category.

1 lb. Italian sausage


Olive oil


1 medium onion, chopped fine


3 cloves garlic, minced


Red pepper flakes


1/2 cup white wine


1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes


1 tsp. basil


White pepper


1 cup grated asiago cheese


1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained 

Salt and sugar (optional)

Fresh torn basil

Preparation

Heat a large skillet and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the sausage and sear the sausage until it is browned on all sides, about five minutes. Add the onion and garlic and then give a good sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Cook that, stirring often, until the onions have softened and clarified.

Slice the sausages into thirds and add the white wine. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until most of the wine has been cooked off. Add the can of tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a knife and fork. Add the basil and stir that in. Grate a bunch of white pepper over the top. Cover and let that simmer about ten minutes, again stirring often.

Uncover the sauce and taste for salt and sugar and adjust if necessary. I like to use San Marzano tomatoes when I make this. Some other canned tomatoes need a bit of sugar. Turn off the heat and quickly stir in the asiago cheese. If you have fresh basil, add a quarter cup of torn basil leaves too.

Serving

This one is easy to serve. Put some spaghetti on the plate and bury it in the sauce with lots of sausage. Add some sautéed broccoli and onions, some homemade bread and a crisp salad. Open a bottle of Italian red wine. I popped open a bottle of Nero D’Avola to wash my meal down.