Why of how this recipe somehow ended up on the bottom of my pasta file I’ll never know! We made it again last night and remembered how much we like it! Does anyone remember Nigella’s trips, in the middle of the night to her fridge? I know, I know…but I couldn’t help myself.
Makes 3 – 4 Servings
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely shredded or chopped
3 or 4 sweet Italian sausages
1 or 2 red bell peppers, roasted (see below)
12 oz. spaghettini of spaghetti
2 Tbsp. EVO
¼ cup red wine
1/8 tsp. or to taste, red chili flakes
1 Tbsp. each butter & EVO
¼ – ½ cup Parmesan cheese, or a combination of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, finely grated
Combine the parsley, garlic and basil, set aside.
Roast the peppers; this can be done the day before. Cut core out of pepper, cut pepper in half; remove seeds and membrane; slice into ¼ “ strips.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Place a large serving bowl in a 180 F oven to warm.
In a large frying pan, brown the sausages on all sides in 2 Tbsp. EVO. Remove the sausages from the pan, cool until they can be handled; remove pan from heat; slice sausages into ½” pieces. Return the pan the sausages were cooked in to the heat source, add the sausage slices to the pan to finish cooking on one side; turn the sausage slices over; cooking for a couple of minutes; add the strips of red pepper to the pan. Add the red wine and let it mostly evaporate. Turn the heat down to very low, cover with a lid and keep warm.
Add 1 –1 ½ Tbsp. salt to the pot of water. Add the spaghettini and cook until just before al dente (firm to the tooth), checking for doneness 2 minutes before the time given on the package. When cooked al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sausages and peppers. Toss with 1 Tbsp. each of the EVO and butter, adding some pasta cooking water if pasta appears too dry. Keep tossing and turning the pasta for 1 – 2 minutes until the pasta is al dente, remove from the heat, toss with the Parmesan. Place spaghettini in the warmed serving bowl, top with the parsley, basil, garlic mixture and more grated cheese; tossing to combine. Serve immediately.
Note: if you find Italian sausages made with Turkey, you might like to try using them.
Helpful link to: Charred/Roasted Peppers.
