January Comfort Food, Gnocchi With Sausage!


 Browning the sausages, one batch of sweet sausage and one batch of hot sausage, in a heavy cast iron cocotte or Dutch oven, insures even cooking. 

 When I travel to my favorite Italian store, I always stock up on their loose sweet and Italian hot sausage. I brown it, sometimes with onion, pepper, garlic, mushrooms etc. When cool, I divide it into two cup portions, freeze them in small loaf pans, then remove them from the pans and then place them in Food Saver bags for future use. Well labeled too! *I keep fresh basil and flat leaf parsley going in the Aero-Garden all year long.

Then when I need a quick meal, the most time involved element of the dish is done, I can warm it in a simmering pot of water, break the seal on the bag and microwave defrost, or let it defrost in the refrigerator over night. 

In this recipe, the sausage is a support player but an essential flavor component. Meet Gnocchi with Sausage!


Gnocchi With Sausage (Gnocchi Malloreddus)

Malloreddus is the name of a pasta shaped like gnocchi, only smaller–also called, gnocchetti sardi. In this traditional Sardinian dish, we’ll be substituting with our tasty imported Italian gnocchi.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Add sausage. Fry, stirring frequently, until the sausage is cooked through. Add garlic.
  2. Add diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and continue simmering for about 15 minutes. Add basil at the end of cooking.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi to the boiling water and cook gnocchi according to the package instructions. Remember, gnocchi will float to the surface when finished cooking. Once finished, drain and toss with sauce in saucepan for about 2 minutes to coat.
  4. Serve topped with Pecorino Rom

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