Sausage And Fennel Pasta By Lydia Bastianich Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil and add the heavy cream, half-and-half and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

Steps:

• Add the sausage to a large pot on medium high. Cook until browned. Remove temporarily from the pot.
• Add sliced fennel, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions and fennel are golden and caramelized.
• Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and meat. Stir and cook until the tomato paste has darkened and is aromatic.
• Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
• Add the cooked pasta, the grated parmesan, and the mozzarella pearls. Stir until well combined and heated through.
• Garnish with fennel fronds, (the green leaves of the fennel bulb).
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Transfer sausages to a platter; pour over cooking liquid.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add crushed red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Add olives and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more.
• Add fennel and stir to combine. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until fennel is soft and begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Add a little water to skillet if fennel does not begin to soften.
• Return sausages and their cooking liquid to skillet. Toss together with fennel mixture and cook, uncovered, until mixture is caramelized and well coated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 3-quart sauté pan on medium-low. Add the sausages and cook, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove sausages to a cutting board. Add fennel seeds to the pan, cook until fragrant, then add fresh fennel, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent and just starting to color, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. Turn off heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 13 to 15 minutes. As the pasta cooks, quarter the sausages lengthwise, then slice 1/2-inch thick. Add sausage to the sauté pan and heat on medium-low. Stir in mascarpone and season generously with pepper. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir and continue heating gently. Mince 2 tablespoons of reserved fennel fronds.
• When the pasta is done, reserve another 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta - you don't have to be utterly thorough about it - and add it to the sauté pan along with enough additional pasta water for a mixture that's quite moist but not soupy. Check seasoning, fold in parsley and fennel fronds, and transfer to a serving dish, individual plates or bowls. Serve with pecorino alongside.