Hey, if I get Tasty Tuesday in before midnight on Tuesday then it still counts, right? Right!
Wanted to share a yummy and quick pasta dish my husband found in Cook’s Country magazine, which is put out by the same people who do Cook’s Illustrated. I can’t recommend these magazines highly enough – it seems like anything put out by America’s Test Kitchen is gold! The recipes are really only supposed to be available to subscribers, but I’m hoping perhaps you’ll take my word for it and subscribe if I give you a sneak peek, because they really are *that* good!
Anyway, this recipe, by Cindy Szerlip, was a runner-up in the magazine’s Quick Pasta Sauces contest. It makes an awful lot of sauce/pasta, so my recommendation would be to half the amount of sausage and peas recommended below while keeping the rest of the ingredients the same. I also used a whole box (1 lb) of farfalle, and you could probably get away with using half that. Here’s the recipe:
Cream Sauce with Sausage and Peas
1 lb hot or mild Italian sausage, without casings and crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1. Brown sausage over medium heat, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Pour off grease in pan. Add oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and simmer until almost evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup cream; simmer until sauce reaches consistency of light cream, 6 to 9 minutes. Stir in sausage and peas and cook until flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Toss sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons of cream with cooked pasta and serve.
Another tip: If you save any of this for leftovers, be aware that the cream sauce will get absorbed in the pasta and you’ll end up with a dish that’s rather dry when you go to re-heat it. I made a little extra cream sauce to toss into the leftovers after heating them in the microwave. Basically, I melted a couple tablespoons of butter in a skillet, added a splash of white wine and simmered for a bit until the wine reduced, then added a splash of cream and a bit of chicken broth. I simmered it for a few minutes and seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper. It was quick and really revived the dish!
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3 thoughts on “Tasty Tuesday – Late Edition Part Deux”
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I also cannot recommend Cook’s Illustrated enough – while we’ve downsized and reduced the number of magazines coming into the house – this is one of the few I will not give up (Brain Child being another). Not only are the recipes great but the stories of how they got to the recipes, and the tips are so much fun to read. I’ve never had anything from it or Cook’s Country to not turn out great.
Will definitely give this recipe a try – sounds like one my hubbie would love.
Hi – it's Cindy Szerlip – runner up winner of that pasta recipe contest, y'know? I haven't tried Cook's Country's version of my dish – it bears little resemblance to the recipe I submitted. My original was a recipe with sweet italian sausage, asparagus, peas, parmesan cheese and creme fraiche, thinned with chicken broth. No heavy cream! Anyway, Cook's Country's recipes tend to be pretty tasty, whether they're authentic or not and I certainly appreciated the prizes they sent over. This one looks like an artery-slammer, though. When I get home I'd be happy to post the actual recipe – it's my kids' favorite pasta and comes together really quickly. I guess creme fraiche and asparagus are not readily available everywhere – spoiled out here in Southern California.
Anyway – just found your website and kudos to you! We working moms need somewhere to network.
This is way better than a brick & mortar estblaihsment.