Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Doesn't this picture look like a great engagement photo?

No? No, it's not pasta and tomatoes getting married. Just my sister and her fiance. So you're saying this is not really what you'd expect if I said I was going to take engagement photos for you?

Darn.

I was hoping to fool you. And everyone else in my family. The exciting news is that my youngest sister is getting married in August to a great guy that we all like. The not-so-exciting news for me is that since I'm the only family member living close to the happy couple (and partly because of my husband's dSLR that I have taken over for food photography) I get to try to take engagement pictures for them. And let me tell you, I know nothing about taking photos of people. Heck, it's taken me years just to start to figure out how to take pictures of food. And food doesn't have facial expressions. I feel like I should remind them what my food pictures looked like when I first started taking them (go ahead, check out this lovely one) and say that I'll be ready after practicing for a few years. Unfortunately, we're going to try to take the pictures this Saturday and not a few years from now, so in the meantime I'm cramming my head with all the portrait picture wisdom I can find: Full sun in midday = bad. Cloud day = good. The sun should be behind someone's shoulder but darned if I remember if it is me or the people in the picture.

With all the cramming, time is a little short this week, so fast meals like this one are lifesavers. It is ready in less than 30 minutes and tastes like it was simmered for hours. You can use chicken sausage, wheat pasta and less cream to easily transform it into a healthy meal, or you can make it as written. Either way it is delicious. It does use fresh basil, which can be hard to find cheaply this time of year, but since the rest of the ingredients are inexpensive I feel like it is worth the splurge. It is definitely worth the flavor it adds.  If you're looking for a fast weeknight meal, this is a perfect one to add to your collection.

And seriously, are you sure this picture doesn't scream "engagement" to you?

Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
• 1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

Directions

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Depending on the brand of sausage and tomatoes you use, you may need to add 1/4 tsp or more of salt so don't skip this step.)
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 10 min Serves : 6

Recipe Source: Bon Appetit Jan 2006 via epicurious.com

Posted in: Main Dish