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My husband just loves one-dish meals. So easy, so tasty, and so easy to
clean up (since I cook, someone else has to do the cleaning)! This
orecchiette pasta recipe doesn’t disappoint, and adding the fennel in
there guarantees my "Wee Bear" eats a veggie too (he won't even bother to
pick it out)!
Orecchiette is just a fun pasta, with its ear shape...it looks yummy and tastes great! The shape holds the sausage and sauce perfectly and taste like eating a mouthful of little spoons.
Creamy Sausage Orecchiette
1 lb. orecchiette
2 T. light olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed0 I used both sweet and hot sausage
1 Fennel bulb (approx 14 ounces), cored and thinly sliced, chop the fronds and reserve
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente'. Drain pasta.
Heat, oil in a large skillet while the pasta is cooking over medium high heat, add the sausage and cook until browned. Transfer to plate.
Add sliced fennel to skillet and turn the heat up a bit. Season the fennel with salt and pepper. Cook until the fennel starts caramelize, about 7-8 minutes. Continue to cook and add 1/3 cup water. Turn heat down to med high and scrape up any brown bits on bottom of the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes until caramelized.
Add the orecchiette and wine and cook, tossing the orrechiette to coat in the sauce. Cook until the wine is reduced to a creamy sauce. Add sausage and chopped fennel fronds and Parmesan cheese, toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
* I think toasted pine nuts would be a good topping on this dish too
We are on our last week here in Ocho Rios.....wha wha! It has been a fun and super relaxing 4 weeks.
Now, home to a golf tournament and then off for a week of skiing in Tahoe with my daughter, son in law and two of the eleven grandchildren.
I have to say, I never knew retirement was this much fun! Cheers! JJ
