Staci's Orecchiette with Fresh Tomatoes and Sausage
By: Staci
Published: Sunday, July 3, 2011 - 5:04pm

Ingredients




3 bags 12 oz Fresh cherry tomatoes on the vine (I buy Nature Sweet); halved
1 package Chicken Sicilian Sausage (Trader Joes Brand) (use 3- 5 links to your taste, I us
4 oz chopped pancetta
1 small onion minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
 cup red wine
1 package pre-sliced cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
Salt
1 package Orecchiette pasta (or small shells if you can't find Orecchi
Parmesan Cheese

Preparation

1 Heat a large skillet over medium heat. 2 Add butter and oil. 3 Once the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic. 4 Cook until the onion is starting to get soft. 5 Turn the temp up to medium high and add the pancetta, cook until crispy.  Remove the casings from the sausage then add to skillet and brown. 6 Pour in the wine and scrape up those delicious browned bits. 7 Toss in the mushrooms and stirring occasionally.
Cook till they are slightly softened. 8 Add the tomatoes (any extra juices too), basil and oregano, and salt to taste, and stir to combine. 9 Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for one to two hours.

Stirring occasionally. 10 While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta.
(make sure you have good salty water) until just al-dente. 11 Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water (DO NOT RINSE). 12 Back to the skillet...add the spinach and cook till it begins to wilt. 13 Then toss in the pasta and stir to combine everything.

Stir frequently until everything is heated through.
(add some reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick) 14 Spoon into bowls and top with fresh Parmesan cheese.   Enjoy!

About


It started as a recipe I found in a cookbook and then I've tweaked it from there.  I love this dish.  Mostly because of the gorgeous and sweet tasting cherry tomatoes.  I don't bother seeding or removing skins...takes too much time and actually I like both.  Cherry tomatoes can be pricey, so I don't make this often.  Orecchiette is a pasta that gets it's name comes from its shape, which reminds one of a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear, and the suffix 'etto' means 'small'.  It's a dome shaped pasta that is starting to show up more and more in regular grocery stores.  If you can't find any, use small shells instead.
Find more recipes at:
http://clickandcookrecipes.blogspot.com

Comments:
Staci

If you like spicy...cook using hot Italian sausage!  :)