One of the worst aspects of moving is the cost. I am not talking about the actual packing up and sea freight, because, while that is indeed very expensive, we are fortunate that the company takes care of those charges. What with wanting us move and all, they ought to. No, I am talking about the freezer full of food items I have stockpiled, the opened bottles of sauces and vinegars and condiments and spices that cannot make the traveling team but will have to be replaced on the other end. Ditto cleaning materials. And don’t even mention the bottles in the liquor cabinet, so hard come by here in Cairo or I might just cry. Since I have a month plus a week or two to whittle down what cannot come with us, you may see some unusual combinations in my dishes. And I may well have a few more drunken typing errors than usual. :)
The other night, I browsed through the freezer and came out with some lovely cured spicy Italian sausage that we had brought back from our trip to Italy. It looked like Spanish chorizo with its distinctive red coloring and I just knew it would go nicely with pasta and a spicy olive pesto that we had also bought in Italy. I am into one-pot dishes when possible, so I decided to add in cauliflower florets and some pasta. Okay, okay. I had to boil the pasta in another pot, but that was easily washed! Topped with some freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, this dish was perfectly delicious. And quick to boot.
Ingredients
150g spicy sausage5 tablespoons or 80g spicy olive paste (called battuto di olive piccante in Italian)
1 small cauliflower (about 1 1/3 lbs or 600g)
3 cloves garlic
9 oz or 250g pasta of your choice
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (optional for serving)
Method
Remove the skin from the sausage, if it has one. Chop the sausage in small pieces and put them in a large non-stick pan.
Mince the garlic and then add it to the sausage.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and turn the heat on medium low. Cook the sausage and garlic until the oil renders out of the sausage.
Put your water on to boil for the pasta and cook it according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, cut the core out of your cauliflower and then separate it into florets.
Add them into the pan and stir well. Cook until the cauliflower is done to your liking, adding a little water if necessary.
Add the spicy olive paste to the pot and tip in the cooked, drained hot pasta.
Toss well.
Serve topped with freshly grated cheese, if desired.
Enjoy!
I have that to look forward to - I'm trying to use up everything I can - but we have several months at least. Pasta looks great!
ReplyDeleteYou know the easy solution to use everything up - throw parties (plural!)!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Sudan we used to rent a condo on the beach in Galveston every summer and just enjoy life and ocean for a month or so. But we would always run into the same problem (on a much smaller scale, of course) as we were getting ready to head back to the desert. I used to dump all the unused stuff on my sister-in-law but I knew she didn't really want/need it or have space. Then, the last summer we did this we had a group of family and friends over and fed them some very random dishes to use up the food. As they left I would ask them to take anything they wanted, needed or thought they could give to someone else!
Start now! Try not to buy any more meat, etc. but eat from the freezer. You will thank yourself in a few months. It was pretty tasty. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've done that too, Cindy! It makes a good party except for the odd menu. :) I know we will end up giving some things away and no one will believe it when I say this, but I am a little tired already of pork sausage. Can't tell you how many pounds I hauled from the States (or Italy) in the last few months!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious, I love sausage with pasta!
ReplyDeleteMe too, Camilla. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great recipe! My favorite part is the wonderful little tiny lasagna looking noodles - I want some of those!! :)
ReplyDeleteI really like dishes like this. Its simple and tasty. I'm intrigued by your pasta of choice. Haven't come across it before. Now I'm going to be looking for it just because I saw it here lol!
ReplyDeleteI know, right?! Those are my new favorite noodle but they can be hard to find. They are called mafaldine. Whenever I see them, I buy several packages! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafaldine
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, Lyn! As for the pasta, check out my reply to Kelli, below, with the link.
ReplyDelete