My mouth was watering at the very clear image in my mind of the finished dish. I hunted and found the recipe. In actually reading it through, for the first time, I realized it was a little different from what I had been visualizing, but close enough to follow as a "guide" and "ad lib" to accomplish the dish I was eagerly anticipating!
While prepping the ingredients, I realized that what I was thinking about was something I had created in the past and nearly forgotten! Thirty or more years ago, I taught a series of Italian Cooking Classes and this sausage preparation with cream and and cheese and herbs was a filling I used for homemade tortellini. The memories of the small grocery where the sausage was hand made came flooding back. Trupiano's, a little Italian market in Gloucester, MA, was well known for it sausages, many varieties, all delicious and homemade.
Italian Sausages Grilling (photo courtesy Markuso, Free Digital Photos)
In fact, later, when I was owner-chef of the White Rainbow restaurant, I used that same recipe idea for a sauce for the homemade fettuccine we served. THAT was the source of the image I had in my mind! The memories of the restaurant kitchen, the sausage, and the young prep chefs I taught to make homemade pasta came to mind. I believe they actually had fun doing it. We certainly laughed a lot, but that was part of managing the stress of running a restaurant kitchen!
Making Pasta dough
Rolling the dough (photo courtesy Lemonade Free Digital photos)
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| Having fun in the restaurant kitchen |
Now, for the truth about this post that makes me zany. My camera is not working, I cannot post actual images of my delicious pasta, nor the green salad I devoured, nor the lovely wine I sipped to round out the meal and make it all special. I don't want to wait until I can recreate the experience in order to share it, so I pulled up photos of past meals, took a few from a photo source, and put them together to create a sequence. The actual finished dish will have to wait until I have a working camera and make it again..sorry, but I can share the recipe for you to enjoy along with some old photos!!
The Elegant White Rainbow Restaurant
HOMEMADE FETTUCCINE WITH HOT SAUSAGE, CREAM, PARMESAN AND HERBS
- 4 ounces fresh pasta, fettuccine
- 1 large hot Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup cream
- sea salt, ground pepper, nutmeg to taste
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- butter
Turn down the heat and stir in the cream. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for a few minutes. Toss in the fresh basil.
In a smaller skillet or pan, heat some butter and fry the sage leaves until crisp, just a few minutes.
Sage frying
Drain on paper towels.
Cook the pasta in boiling water for 3-5 minutes until al dente. Drain.
Homemade Fettuccine and Spaghetti
Serve pasta in a hot bowl with sauce. Add lots of grated parmesan!!
This dish is so simple that you need to use the best possible ingredients to make it shine! Homemade pasta, sausage and Parmagiano Reggiano! It is rich and unctuous, don't skimp!
Enjoy a nice red wine..I had Nero D'Avola Sicilia. If you use a mild Italian Sausage, a big, fruity white wine would be fine...
Sola Gina
