I'm not the biggest fan or patron of pasta. I'm actually very carnivorous and very asian, in that I like my rice as much as I like my meat. Fortunately, there are lazy days that really call for pasta. Like weekends or break-up months or Christmas time. It's not a secret that I like to putter around the kitchen whenever I have free time. I'm not exactly big on writing about my experiments with food because how redundant can I be? Like, seriously? A fat foodie? Heh. I have nothing to talk about so I'm making an exception. This recipe is as simple as it goes. I already wrote about this dish on my tumblr but I'm blogging about it again with the full recipe (my own tweakage of the standard tomato cream pasta).
Ingredients:
2 tbsps. truffle oil
2 tbsps. butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 250g all-purpose cream
10 oz. tomato sauce (I used 3/4 of a can)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp of brown sugar (to counter the acidity of the sauce)
about 200 grams of sausage, chopped
dried basil leaves (if you have fresh ones, go for it!)
grated Pecorino Romano cheese
450 g linguine1, cooked to package directions
Preparation instructions:
Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Add chopped sausage and let it brown a bit (if you like salty and garlicky sausages, you can omit the garlic and just saute it with onions but I like my sausages sweet so, yeah). Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (I turn off the heat when my sauce is thick and the color turns into a really deep red. I also add a dash of dried basil leaves just a few minutes before I turn off the heat. Adding it any time sooner is just overpowering). Remove from heat and stir in cream. Pour over drained pasta and toss to coat. Garnish with grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan cheese) and more dried basil leaves (if you want to!). Serve.
My sister likes this a lot but she wants it sausage-and-herb-free and really cheesy. My mother suggested I put mushrooms the next time I make one. A friend of mine puts red pepper flakes in his recipe. I would've used fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes (instead of tomato sauce) if I had the option. I think it's a matter of personal preference. Enjoy!
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1You can use other kinds of pasta, I just prefer linguine because it's firm and it cooks well. :D I think this kind of recipe works well with fussili and penne too, because it's saucy and creamy but what the hell do I know? I just like to eat. Period.
