Penne Pasta with spicy sausage (Penne con salsiccia piccante)

Preparation: 5 mins
Cooking: 10 mins    
Difficulty: Easy

“Salsiccia Calabrese” or “soppressata”, these are the names to look for when buying the key element of this recipe. Basically, it’s a chorizo-like pork meat sausage made in the Calabria region of Italy, but more spicy (because of the chilli) and with some hints of fennel (becuase they add some fennel seeds). Normally, it should be eaten with rustic bread and a glass of red wine, but it can also be used for making a lovely and tasty pasta sauce.

SERVES 4

Ingredients (Metric & Imperial measurements)

• 400 g (14 oz) Penne rigate pasta
• 75 ml (3 fl oz) Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Clove of garlic (sliced)
• 90 g (3 1/2 oz) Spicy Italian sausage 
• 1 tablespoon of tomato purèe
• A small handful of parsley (finely chopped)
• These are Imperial and Metric measurements. U.S measurements available at italyum.com

Nutrition facts: Calories 650 per serving.

Ingredients (U.S. measurements)

• 14 ounces Penne rigate pasta
• 5 tablespoons (just a bit more than 1/4 cup) Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Clove of garlic (sliced)
• 3 1/2 ounces Spicy Italian sausage 
• 1 tablespoon of tomato purèe
• A small handful of parsley (finely chopped)

   

Directions:

Remove the skin from the sausage and cut the sausage into thin discs, about 2 mm (1/16") thick.

Put the olive oil into a wok (or a deep frying pan) and heat it on a medium-low heat.

Add the garlic and sweat off for few minutes until the garlic become slightly golden.

When slighlty golden, remove it.

Now, turn the cooker to low heat and add the sausage discs.

Stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the tomato purèe.

Give a quick stir in order to melt the tomato purèe in the olive oil.

Then, add the parsley.

Stir for 30 seconds and turn the heat off.

When you are draining the pasta, turn the cooker on again and pour the pasta into the wok. 

Stir to coat all the pasta with sauce and serve immediately.

Buon appetito!