Another Saturday

This morning I was up before 8. Now I could have been cooking or cleaning right out of the gate, but instead I got on Facebook (which I joined last night). I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am a fool.

That aside, I made some cinnamon sugar donut muffins before going into town to pick up Sadie and hit the Obama campaign office grand opening. They looked scrumptious but were a little... dry? Chewy? I'll have to have another one in the morning with some coffee.


Even though I was up early this morning, I didn't go to the Farmer's Market. None of the meat vendors were going to be there, and since I'm leaving on Tuesday it doesn't make any sense to get produce. So, on my way home from the Obama office opening I stopped at Food Lion to pick up some spicy Italian sausages so I could make one of my favorite recipes ever, pasta with hot sausage and fennel.

Here's the "mise," with some of the muffin stuff still laying around. Cinnamon toast in the morning?

Here's everything save the pasta and sausage cooking down to a thick, creamy sauce.


And here's the final product. Even though it looks like Hamburger Helper, this is one of the tastiest dishes in my repertoire. The fennel becomes velvety smooth, very nearly melting into the cream. The spicy sausages + red pepper flakes provide the perfect kick. As an added bonus, it freezes well.

Pasta with hot sausage and fennel

3/4 pound hot Italian sausage, casings discarded

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic, minced
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound penne or other tubular pasta
freshly grated parmesan to taste

In a heavy skillet cook the sausage over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up any lumps, until it is cooked through and transfer it to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the oil to the skillet and cook the onion and the garlic over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the fennel and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the fennel is softened. Add the wine and broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the cream and red pepper flakes and boil the mixture until it is thickened slightly and reduced by about one third. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta until it is al dente and drain it well. Stir the sausage and pasta into the fennel mixture and toss with the parmesan.