The J Man Cooks Too!

It's true, he does.  (Doesn't he look cute?  I tried to get him to wear an apron but that was a no go.)  Lately the J Man has been dabbling in the kitchen and creating some absolute masterpieces!  This is just one of many delightful little treats he has whipped up for me.  Can you see the steam coming off the pasta?  And can you see the fabulous pasta bowl??  

This recipe is out of Tyler Florence's "Dinner at My Place."  My sister got it for the J Man as a birthday gift and inscribed it stating, "Jeremy, we thought it would be fun for you to invite Megan over to 'your place' for dinner."  And that he did!  Yummo!

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes, and Peas

Ingredients

4 links spicy Italian sausage (always on a quest to cut fat/calories but not flavor, we substituted the sausage for spicy turkey sausage)

1 pound dried penne

EVOO

1 mediume onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 28 ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (do not skimp on this one - totally get the San Marzanos!!  They were delish!  I looked them up on Wikipedia and they are grown in the San Marzano valley in Italy and chefs swear by them - and I do too!  We got them at our local Italian store.)

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups peas blanched

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving (we used Romano cheese b/c that is what we have in the fridge...)

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions 

1)  Preheat oven to 350*F.  Place the sausages in roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and just cooked.  Cut sausage at an angle into bite-size pieces.  (We've never cooked sausage with casings this way before but it turned out fine.)

2)  Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.  Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente).

3) Set a large, heavy-based pot over meidum heat and add a 2-count of olive oil (about 2 tbsps).  Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent and fragrant.  Add tomatoes and basil; season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy.  Add sausage, blached peas (I LOVE PEAS), and Parm.  Fold together and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flaves to come together.  Serve topped with a shower of cheese (don't you just love that description: "a shower of cheese" - I want a shower of cheese), and garnish with basil.

TIP: To blanch the peas, submerge them into boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes (1 minute for frozen peas), then strain them and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Strain them againad set aside.

The finished product.  Doesn't it look amazing?  J Man did an amazing job!  Bravo!  (And again, how cute is that pasta bowl??  Thanks Cindy!)