Another Pasta Dish
Ok I can’t help myself. I really love pasta! I make all kinds of different creations. This is Version #2 of the Cranberry Pasta dish I made for dinner the night before Thanksgiving. That one had swiss chard .I didn’t have the swiss chard so I left it out. I did a couple of things differently and loved the result. I will post that recipe tomorrow. So here is the second version recipe. You will need for 8 servings the following:
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 pound dry penne pasta or your choice
1 medium onion, sliced
4 to 6 cloves of minced garlic
3/4 pound to 1 pound fresh cranberries
1/4 to 1/2 cup cranberrie juice
1 jar prepared pasta sauce (see the one I should in More Pasta Flavors)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil (I only use my own dried basil that I stored from my summer batch) If you do not have your own dried I would use only fresh. If you use fresh, you don’t have to add it until just before serving.
Start the water boiling for your pasta.
Saute the onions in oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions are starting to get soft. Add the sausage, breaking up with a large spoon. Add the minced garlic and saute until the sausage is not longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. You can also add red pepper flakes if you want.
By this time your water could be boiling. When it comes to a boil, add a big handful of salt and your pasta. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.
Add the cranberries and 1/4 cup cranberrie juice. Cook for approximately 20 minutes.
When it comes to a boil, add a big handful of salt and your pasta. Cook for approximately 10 minutes. BACK TO YOUR PASTA SAUCE: You can add more juice to the sausage mixture if you want. Add the pasta sauce and cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Break up the cranberries as it is cooking. The cranberry flavors will be released. The cranberries taste just like sundried tomatoes. Better, because they aren’t in oil!! Another note: as the cranberries cook they will start “popping”. When you hear the popping, start breaking up the cranberries.
When the pasta is done spoon the cooked pasta directly from the pasta pot into the sauce. No need to actually drain if you use a large slotted spoon to take out the pasta.
Spray a baking dish with oil spray and put the pasta mixture in the dish. Sprinkle the top with Panko Bread Crumbs (I love these, because they are very crunchy). Shred Parmesan on top. Remember, if you use real Parmesano Reggiano you only need a small amount. You can use regular bread crumbs if you want. You could also leave out the bread crumbs. but I love the little crunch that thiey give the dish.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
Another Pasta Dish
Monday, December 4, 2006
