Although we don’t eat a lot of meat, both Patti and I like sausage. So, when it’s on sale, I buy a couple of packages. We prefer the Italian in bulk. However, I also sometimes get the links when they’re on sale. We enjoy both the sweet and the hot. Therefore, I always have both in our freezer.
When I get the sausage home, I open and divide it into quarter-pound patties and freeze them, adding the date. Dating is important because I often have several packages in the freezer and want to use the oldest ones first.
A simple dish I make using sausage is with pasta. It really isn’t a recipe. So, I’ll just explain what I do. Thaw one patty of each – the hot and the sweet. I plan ahead and take them from the freezer the night before.
I heat my large cast-iron skillet to medium hot and saute the patties while breaking them up. As they’re browning, I add about a half cup of diced onions. The onions cook in the fat that the cooking meat releases. In the meantime, I cook about 2 cups of medium shells pasta. When the sausage is fully cooked, I add about 2 tablespoons of flour and mix it into the meat and onions. After this has been blended, I add about a half cup of chicken stock and a quarter cup of white wine – the wine is optional. Now you have sausage and onions in a gravy. To this, add the well-drained pasta. Once this has been thoroughly mixed, add at least one cup of grated cheddar cheese and stir again until the cheese has melted.
This is a hearty meal and satisfying on a cold evening. I like it with red wine. However, whatever beverage you like goes well with this dish.
Enjoy and stay safe!
If you have suggestions or questions for this column, please contact me either at this newspaper at www.buckscountyherald.com or directly at guthrielarason@verizon.net.
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