Ingredients:
3 links of Premio Sausage (choose your favorite)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Italian olive oil
Fresh black pepper – 3 turns of the mill.
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
6-8 leaves fresh basil
4 sundried tomato portions, sliced and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon capers
2 Italian dried chili peppers, sliced
1 pound rigatoni
Sea salt
- Always cook pork sausage to a minimum internal temperature of 160° F using a meat thermometer.
- Always cook chicken sausage to a minimum internal temperature of 165° F using a meat thermometer.
How to make Mimi's Premio Italian Salsiccia e Rigatoni:
1. In a large frying pan, add olive oil to lightly coat the pan; warm over medium-low heat.
2. Remove Premio Sausage from casings and break apart with fingers; add to warm pan. Raise flame closer to medium heat (sausage meat should be in bite size chunks, both medium and small, break with spoon). Cook sausage for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally for even cooking.
3. Add chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary and cook together with the sausage. Once sausage is browning, check fat content in pan.
4. Remove sausage mixture and transfer to a bowl. If there is fat in the pan, discard.
5. Add olive oil to coat pan and add finely chopped onion. Cook until translucent in color. Add 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add to sausage mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add sundried tomato portions, hot pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil; mix well. Add remaining rosemary and toss; cook for another 2 minutes. Place plum tomatoes without juice to pan and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Break with wooden spoon into bite-size pieces. Add 1 tablespoon capers and mix ingredients in pan.
8. Add remaining oregano and cook for another 2 minutes. Add half of basil leaves, torn into smaller pieces. Add 1 cup of reserved tomato juice from can (can of plum tomatoes); reduce heat to medium-low and mix. Cook sauce for another 5-10 minutes, until sauce reduces a bit. Add remaining basil, prepared in same manner and toss.
9. In a pasta pot, bring water to boil. Add a handful of sea salt to water and stir. Add Rigatoni, stir and cook as instructed. Once complete to al dente, drain well. Add pasta to sauce frying pan and toss so that sauce mixture enters inside rigatoni.
SERVES: 4