12/11/2006

Quick Cooking

Pasta, sausage make a honey of a dish

By J.M. HIRSCH

The Associated Press

The Associated Press
This Honey Sausage Fettuccini uses turkey sausage that has been sauted in honey, then paired with fettuccini.

I love anything sweet and spicy, and an Italian sausage sauteed in honey seemed a great way to capture that. But what to do with the sausages once you've tossed everything in the pan.

I started with turkey sausage, which is far leaner than traditional pork sausages and usually is packaged fully cooked. A quick chop and saute with honey and rosemary ended with delicious results.

I decided to pair the sausage with pasta. Any hearty pasta will do; I went with fettuccine. A quick toss with a bit of grated Parmesan and a 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water finished the dish perfectly, creating a wonderful sweet and savory sauce.

If you want to add some greenery to this dish, try chopped kale or baby spinach. Add it to the skillet during the final few minutes of sauteing the sausage. It will wilt down significantly and pick up the flavors of the cheese and sausage.

Honey Sausage Fettuccine
(Start to finish: 20 minutes)

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 12-oz. package turkey sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. fresh fettuccine pasta
• 2 T. honey
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat combine the oil and rosemary. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and saute until lightly browned, about four to five minutes.

Once the water has boiled, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, add the honey to the sausage and cook, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and thickens.

Once the pasta has cooked, reserve about 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain the fettuccine. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the skillet and toss to coat. Add the cheese and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes four servings.