A quick pasta to go with sausage and peppers

I was going trough my recipes the other day, and I found my notes for sausage and peppers. After reading it I was in the mood for some all day. I eventually caved in, and went to the local little Italian grocery to pick up some sausage and peppers. Their homemade sausage is still as good as ever. 

Mid afternoon, I couldn’t wait any longer, and I started cooking the sausage, peppers and garlic. Then I heated up more garlic and oil for the pasta. When I sat down, I thought I’d eat about half of it. I was wrong. My eyes were smaller than my stomach. I ate the whole mess. Here’s how I put it together. 

Olive oil, use the good stuff

1 lb. Italian sausage

2 large bell peppers

Lots of garlic

Red pepper flakes

1 lb. Italian egg pasta, one of those funny shaped rolled pastas

Salted water to cook pasta

1 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus a little extra

3/4 cup of reserved pasta water

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350º. Heat a large cast iron fry pan over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and then add the sausage. If it is in one ‘rope’, uncoil it a little so it is evenly spread out in the pan. Let that sear while you cut up the bell peppers (into bite-sized pieces). When the first pepper is cut up, turn the sausage over. 

After both sides of the sausage are seared, take a knife and fork and cut the sausage into roughly one inch lengths. Stir and add the peppers. While that’s on the stove, peel, smash and mince four cloves of garlic. Put the salted pasta water on to boil. When the peppers are starting to soften, add the garlic. Stir well and put the pan in the oven, on the top shelf. 

Take a small sauce pan and add about an inch of your best olive oil (roughly about three quarters of a cup). Heat that over medium heat. Smash and mince about four garlic cloves and add those to the oil with some red pepper flakes. If you’re like me, add a lot of red pepper flakes. If you are a little wimpy, add less. Once the garlic is sizzling, turn the heat off and swirl the oil until the sizzling stops. Set that aside. 

When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta, and a dribble of olive oil, to the water. Cook the pasta until it is just cooked through, so it still has a little chewiness to it. Save 3⁄4 of a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl. Add the oil and garlic to the pasta and stir. Now stir in one cup of grated parmesan cheese and add the reserved pasta water. Stir well. Remove the sausage and peppers from the oven and add a bunch of parmesan to that as well. 

Serving

Take a large mound of the pasta and place it on a plate. Now scoop on lots of the sausage and peppers. Make sure you get lots of garlic too. Sprinkle on lots of grated parmesan and maybe a little fresh ground white pepper. Now, set out a bowl of carrot sticks, a bowl of kalamata olives, and slice some fresh baked homemade bread. Pour a bottle of your favorite Italian red wine and your set to feast. For goodness sakes, go back for seconds. It’s good for you!