SAUSAGE RAGù
Meat sauce is one of the recipes many American home cooks start with. It seems so easy; brown some hamburger, pour in a jar of marinara, and presto! Meat sauce. Not so fast, friends. Made that way, your sauce may be thin-tasting, sour, sweet, or - worst of all - dry and chewy. Meat sauce with deep flavor and succulent texture isn't harder to make; it just needs more time and a low flame. This recipe from the New York chef Sara Jenkins, who grew up in Tuscany and has cooked all over Italy, shows how it's done. Caramelization is involved; dried pasta and canned tomatoes are best practice; and pork, not beef, is the meat of choice. If your sausage meat seems timidly flavored, feel free to add chopped garlic, chile flakes, fennel seed and/or dried herbs like oregano and sage to the meat as it browns.
Provided by Julia Moskin
Categories dinner, pastas, sauces and gravies, main course
Time 2h
Yield About 3 cups
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- With the tip of a small, sharp knife, slit open the sausage casings. Crumble the meat into a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. If the meat is not rendering enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan as it begins to cook, add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the meat is frying gently, not steaming. Sauté, breaking up any large chunks, until all the meat has turned opaque (do not let it brown), about 5 minutes.
- Add onion, carrot, celery and parsley and stir. Drizzle in more oil if the pan seems dry. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have melted in the fat and are beginning to caramelize, and the meat is toasty brown. This may take as long as 40 minutes, but be patient: It is essential to the final flavors.
- Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or with the side of a spoon. Bring to a simmer, then add thyme and rosemary and let simmer, uncovered, until thickened and pan is almost dry, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Mix tomato paste with 1 cup hot water. Add to pan, reduce heat to very low, and continue cooking until the ragù is velvety and dark red, and the top glistens with oil, about 10 minutes more. Remove herb sprigs. Sprinkle black pepper over, stir and taste.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until just tender. Scoop out 2 cups cooking water, drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Quickly add a ladleful of ragù, a splash of cooking water, stir well and let cook 1 minute. Taste for doneness. Repeat, adding more cooking water or ragù, or both, until pasta is cooked through and seasoned to your liking.
- Pour hot pasta water into a large serving bowl to heat it. Pour out the water and pour in the pasta. Top with remaining ragù, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 276, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 32 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 11 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 321 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
POTATO TORTELLI WITH SAUSAGE RAGù
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- 1 Prepare the ragù. Then, place the whole potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool. 2 Peel the potatoes and mash them with a ricer or food mill until smooth. Stir in the butter, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. 3 Sprinkle two baking sheets with flour. 4 Prepare the pasta. With a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, or a small glass, cut the dough into circles. Place a teaspoon of the filling on one side of each circle. Dip a fingertip in cool water and moisten the dough circle halfway around. Fold the dough over the filling to form a semicircle. Press the edges firmly together to seal. Gather the two corners of the dough and pinch them together. Place the tortelli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 5 Cover and refrigerate, turning the pieces occasionally, up to 3 hours. (For longer storage, freeze the pasta on the baking sheets. Transfer to heavy-duty plastic bags. Seal tightly and freeze up to one month. Do not thaw before cooking.) 6 When ready to cook the tortelli, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the pasta to the boiling water with salt to taste. Stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender yet still firm to the bite. 7 Spoon some of the sauce into a heated serving bowl. Drain the pasta well and add it to the bowl. Top with the remaining sauce and 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves
CHEESY SAUSAGE POTATOES
For a satisfying brunch, try some sausage and potatoes! I never have to worry about leftovers with these tasty potatoes-everyone loves them and the pan always empties. You can also serve these as a side dish at Sunday supper or for potlucks. -Linda Hill, Marseilles, Illinois
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Breakfast Brunch Side Dishes
Time 25m
Yield 10 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onion. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary. , Drain potatoes; arrange in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Add the sausage mixture and stir gently. Sprinkle with cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 252 calories, Fat 13g fat (8g saturated fat), Cholesterol 37mg cholesterol, Sodium 220mg sodium, Carbohydrate 26g carbohydrate (2g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 9g protein.
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