Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs sage leaves, chiffonade cut (2 tbl)
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 ground nutmeg or fresh grated
coarse salt ad black pepper
1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1
tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it.
Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet
and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and
then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 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, and
salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken
sauce.
Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay
leaf from sauce and pour the 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. |