New Recipe Sunday #1

Back when we were dating, Eddie made one somewhat odd request of me: to make a home-cooked meal on Sunday evenings. Since I already had an interest in learning how to cook and I knew how often he relied on Carl's Jr. for dinner most weeknights, I acquiesced. Now that we've been married for more than a year, I definitely cook more frequently, but it's hard to try out new recipes during the week. Trying out a recipe for the first time requires a certain level of time and attention that I simply don't have at the end of a workday. So inspired by our former Sunday night dinners, I have pledged to cook a new dish each Sunday.

So without further ado I present: Bucatini with Sausage and Peas (source: Food and Wine magazine)

You will need:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil


• 1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 shallot, minced


• 2-1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce


• 1/4 cup heavy cream


• 1/2 cup frozen baby peas


• salt


• 1 lb. bucatini


• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  
• 2 Tbsp. shredded basil
  
  

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the sausage and cook 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned, breaking up the sausage into small pieces. Add the minced garlic and shallot and cook for about 2 more minutes, until softened. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.


2. Turn the heat down to low and partially cover the the sauce. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and frozen peas and continue to simmer over low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.


3. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Add the sauce and the grated cheese. Stir over low heat until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce, approximately 2-3 minutes.


4. Top with additional grated cheese and the shredded basil and serve.

Cooking notes: a. If you can't find bucatini, spaghetti is an adeqaute substitute; b. If you can find ground Italian sausage, it will make things a little easier; c. For the tomato sauce, I used a very plain organic marinara from Trader Joe's.

Eddie's Rating: "Make it again!"

Right here would be a great location for a picture of the finished dish. But you'll have to use your imagination this time. Quite frankly, I was too lazy to clean off the tabletop to take a nice picture. Oops, my bad!