Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Caponata
The ground sausage and caponata relish brings a richness to the orecchiette pasta that is offset by fresh lemon, white wine and fresh greens. This is a delicious weeknight meal that can be served with a simple arugula side salad.
Ingredients:
1 pound Orecchiette Pasta
1 pound (16 oz) Italian Sausage (sweet or spicy whichever you prefer - I bought the sausage in the casings and just removed sausage from casings)
6 leaves of Swiss Chard with stalks roughly chopped (I used both red and green Swiss chard)
2 Lemons - zested and juiced
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)
1/2 Cup White Wine (a descent dry white that you would drink)
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan Cheese grated
1 Jar Wozz! Bruschetta Caponata Relish
Method:
1. Boil Your Pasta Water
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. Zest and Juice Lemons
Zest and juice 2 lemons in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cook Your Sausage Caponata Sauce
In a large skillet on medium high heat, add your olive oil and sauté your minced garlic until it begins to brown. Add a tablespoon of butter and continue to cook the garlic.
Add the ground sausage and break up the sausage with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sausage is browned all over. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce by half.
4. Cook Your Pasta
(At this point add your Orecchiette pasta to your boiling pot of salted water and cook to package suggestions for al dente usually 7-9 minutes)
5. Finish Your Sauce
Add Wozz! Bruschetta Caponata Relish and chopped chard leaves to skillet and bring to a simmer.
6. Drain Your Pasta and Combine Pasta with Sauce
Drain the pasta and add pasta to the sausage caponata sauce. Finish the dish with your fresh lemon juice and zest and fold through until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve
Transfer hot pasta to a large serving platter and serve with crusty bread and lashings of freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper.
Enjoy!
