Monday, March 14, 2011

I think I'm in love

I've got a new favorite pasta.

It's not for the vegetarian, the purist, or the healthy.  Anyone who classifies themselves as such, move along.

For the rest of you, I give you: penne with spicy tomato sauce, black olives, sausage, and burrata.


I absolutely adore this pasta. I found the recipe on Connie's blog (which I love) a few weeks ago, and knew it was going on my short list. I liked all of the ingredients, of course, but I also liked that it called for canned tomato sauce--nice shortcut! I know we're supposed to make our own tomato sauce but once in awhile it's nice to skip a few steps.

Of course, I made a few edits, all but two of which reflect my gluttonous nature.

For one, I used regular penne instead of farro penne--but only because I couldn't find farro penne, even at Whole Foods. Two, I omitted the fennel, because the husband swears he does not like it (although I slipped it into a dinner last week and he did not notice, which makes me suspicious of his claim). But I figured tricking your mate shouldn't become a regular occurrence so I let the fennel go for this one.

On the gluttonous end, I used a full pound of pasta, because I don't like to have a fraction of a box of pasta rattling around in the pantry--it's destined for the garbage. And, I used a full pound of sausage instead of a half, because, you know, why not? And, I used two cans of tomato sauce instead of one. I'm a sauce fiend, as we've discussed, so I knew one 15-ounce can wasn't going to do it for me.

It's a speedy, spicy, perfectly balanced pasta, just right for a mid-week dinner, although I would serve it without reservation to guests. The oil-cured olives add the perfect salty bite. The burrata....well, I feel the same way about burrata as I do about sauce: give me more.

I can see a lot of variations on this. If the husband ate eggplant, for instance, I would consider swapping the sausage for grilled eggplant to make the dish a shade healthier. You could leave out the cheese and it would still be delicious, add capers, making it more like a puttanesca, or skip the olives. The dish could handle any number of alterations without losing its deliciousness.

Give a try and make it your own.

19 comments:

  1. Oh, this is comfort food at its finest, cheesy meaty goodness. I can see why you love it.
    *kisses* HH

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  2. Now I really wish I had some burrata in the house. Hungry!

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  3. You know, I almost turned away when I read the first line, but knowing that I loved the Sopranos lasagna, and being wooed by the photo, I read on. Yum. The next time we can get farmers' market sausage, we will try this. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. HH: It is most definitely comforting!

    camille: Isn't burrata the best?

    Ash: Oh, I remember now that you don't like burrata or cheese much in general. Well, it would be good without it. And really, you could use turkey sausage instead of pork. It's a very flexible recipe.

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  5. More is more! I always appreciate extra sauce.

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  6. Don't you LOVE burrata???
    I'll be trying this marvelous recipe! Copied it from Connie's blog, making appropriate changes here and there....
    What the heck is farro penne? I mean I know what farro is and what penne is, but I've never heard of penne made of farro!

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  7. Jessica: more is more! That's my motto.

    Barbara: I'd love to try/find farro pasta but so far it has eluded me.

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  8. Mmmm, burrata. I could live on that. Seriously! ;)

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  9. So glad you liked this pasta!!! (And thank you for the mention, of course!) Looks great. Love the variations that you suggested: grilled eggplant and capers sound brilliant! As for the farro pasta, by the way, I get mine at an Italian-family owned grocery, its the most reliable way to go.

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  10. CJ: Me too.

    Connie: yep, I adored it. So delicious. I'm going to look for farro pasta at an Italian place here--I must be able to get it in SF!

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  11. I'm so craving a good, hearty pasta right now (way too much salad this week). This looks amazing and I think I'll make this for dinner tomorrow!

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  12. Oh my goodness Yum! I have to confess I've never tried burrata before, only because I have finicky, picky cheese eaters and I can never tell what's in favour from week to week. But sausages and pasta? I'd say that's a winner. And I have no qualms about sneakily tricking the kids with some cheese.

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  13. Brianna: I hope you do! let me know if you try it!

    shaz: Well, you could skip the cheese and it would still be delicious. Finicky about cheese...what an alien concept! A healthier one though...

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  14. you'd cringe if you saw my pasta cabinet--box after half-full box of many varieties line the shelves. :)

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  15. You are definitely my kind of girl! This rocks. Love all the gluttonous ingredients.

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  16. Ok, I've never heard of burrata. And every now and again I love to eat something like this - spicy sausage, black olives, fennel, yum. Great photos too.

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  17. grace: my nightmare! ;)

    Velva: Thanks to Connie for the good idea.

    agrigirl: Yes, it should be left for once in awhile--it's more than a bit indulgent.

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  18. Sounds yum! The somewhat stringy texture of burrata used to creep me out a bit, but I'm coming around. Mozzarella wrapped around cream, what's not to like? This recipe is on my shortlist too!

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  19. ALY: I think it would be great with fresh mozz too--and for the record, I know you're not alone in not liking burrata.

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