Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This Rachael Ray recipe was sent to me by my number two son, Andrew, who contributes regularly to his momma’s blog.  He’s been on a pumpkin roll lately (if you’ll pardon the pun), telling me that this is the first of many seasonal dishes that he intends to try.

He was quite pleased with this recipe.  The sausage and spices go quite well together, he assures me, and the pumpkin provides richness and depth of flavor without being overwhelming.  Thanks, Andrew (and you, too, Rachael)!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 more T.

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4-6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 T.
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating 

Heat a large, deep, nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage.  Transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate.  Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove.  Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and then the garlic and onion.  Sauté 3-5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan.  Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes.  Add stock and pumpkin, and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble.  Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream.  Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, add salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer mixture 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot in which it was cooked.  Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and pour sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta.  Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute.  Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves. 

This post is linked to:

Metamorphosis Monday  Melt In Your Mouth 
Recipe Sharing Monday
Amaze Me Monday

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Tarragon Chicken

You know me and cooking magazines -- I'm crazy about them!  So I had to try something from the new Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine that appeared in my mailbox on Wednesday.  

The word "Crockpot" leapt at me from the cover, most probably because it was 104 degrees at the time and a Crockpot seemed the only way to go.  As it turned out, it was.  I don't think I've ever had a tastier, more tender chicken than the one in this recipe.  Making the sauce outside of the Crockpot ensured a dish far more elegant that what is usually, umm, "crocked," and doing a bit of advanced prep (gathering, cleaning, and chopping herbs, zesting and juicing a lemon), made this a very easy meal.  There's a lot more to love in this issue, and I'll let you know as I test each recipe, but trust me on this one, it is, as Rachael would say, "Yum-o!"

This post is linked to:
Simply Delish Saturday
Savory Sunday

For a subscription to Everyday with Rachael Ray, click the image below: