Orecchiette with Sausage and Tomatoes
By: Giangi Townsend
Published: Monday, August 6, 2012 - 7:03am

Ingredients




1 pound orecchiette pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup tomatoes diced in large chunks
Salt
1 tablespoon unsalted water
2 ounces aged provolone cheese, shredded

Preparation

1 In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the orecchiette pasta until they are al dente. Drain and reserve ¼ cup of cooking water. 2 Meanwhile in a large deep skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until warm, but not smoking. 3 Separate the Italian sausage on small bite size chunks and add them to the skillet. Cook on medium high heat until nicely browned and cooked through. About 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. 4 Remove all excess grease released from the sausage. 5 Add 1 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet and add the tomatoes. Cook over medium low heat. The tomatoes are ready when soft but not falling apart. 6 Add the reserved cooking water scraping up any browned bits and crushing the tomatoes. 7 Cook until the liquid is reduced by half and the tomatoes are nearly broken down, about 5 minutes. 8 Add the pasta to the skillet along with the cooked sausage and the remaining butter and cook stirring until the pasta is well coated. 9 Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded provolone cheese. 10 Transfer to bowls and serve right the way.

About

Pasta is always a fun dish to prepare not to mention the fact that there are a million ways to prepare it, and food for the soul. The below dish easy to prepare and I am taking advantage of the fresh tomatoes that my mom keeps sending to me.
If you do not have provolone cheese in hand, Parmigiano Reggiano is the perfect substitution.
Bon Appetit!!
Giangi