Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms

I so love this recipe: Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms is packed with flavor and requires minimal effort. This is perfect for those of you who don't groove on a saucy pasta. Of course, The Jersey Girl grooves on all pasta, but to each his own!

The recipe calls for farfalle aka bow ties, but orecchiette is what I had on hand, so that's what went in this dish. Any short pasta will due. I can see this going well with mezze rigatoni, too.

Please note I totally do not use as much salt as Giada calls for. 

I used baby bella mushrooms that were already sliced to save myself some time. Shortcuts are sometimes God's plan.

Here you go:

Farfalle with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms

Makes 4 main-course servings

From "Everyday Italian" 

By Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb. turkey sausages, casings removed

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

3/4 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted slightly

1 lb. dried farfalle pasta (bow-tie pasta)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over a high flame. Add the turkey sausage and saute until golden brown, breaking up any large clumps, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside. Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in the same pan. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the peas and saute for 2 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan and cook until the sausage is heated through and the flavors have blended, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and add the meat mixture. Toss over medium heat to combine and heat through, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to moisten, about 5 minutes. Drizzle in the remaining oil. Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to a large bowl and serve.

Dream a Little Dream

I had a nightmare this week. In it, I consumed McDonald’s.

Gah!!!!

I don’t discredit the success of McDonald’s and the world’s love of it, but oh dear readers, McDonald’s goes against all I believe in. And I don’t eat it. Ever. Not even while prego. Not even while starving and prego. Not even while starving and prego and it’s the only option for food.  This is all hypothetical, of course.

I have consumed the McCrack as a child, but I gave up fast food for Lent my junior year of college, and well, I’ve been grease and drive-thru free ever since.

Earlier in my pregnancy, my little sister Monica offered some words of wisdom, “Eat what your body wants. If you crave a Big Mac, just eat it, Susan.”

She didn’t say I would dream about the Golden Arches. Although my girl did warn me that dreams about old boyfriends will haunt me at some point during the nine months. That happened in July.

So, in my fast food dream, I was housing some Chicken McNuggets.

Gag.

And family members were telling me I was getting really, really fat and this obviously caused me super major dismay. I immediately woke up surrounded by my fortress of pregnancy pillows in a cold sweat, headed straight to the bathroom because that’s what prego ladies do – we empty our bladders a lot – and then proceeded to toss and turn for a good hour before falling asleep for another crackhead dream.

Seriously, my night visions are so trippy. And I obsessively try to figure out what they mean.
Recent conclusion: You are a lunatic pregnant woman.

I often relay my psycho dream tales to The Husband, who just laughs and shakes his head.

Last week, all my sleepcapades were about TV.

I was a cast member of the "Jersey Shore," cooking with the Situation.

Later that evening, Dr. Patrick Drake of "General Hospital" fame and his Fatal Attraction-esque stalker Lisa were hanging out with me in my great room, which was in Port Charles.

I promptly decided during one of my late-night bathroom breaks that it was time for a good book.

Anyway, I don’t crave anything with “Mc” before it. But I recently really wanted some Sausage and Peppers.

I made mine with turkey sausage instead of regular pork sausage.

As The Husband noted, “You can’t even tell the difference.”

Sausage and pepper sandwiches evoke memories of street fairs and summer. Yay!

And the bell peppers are super delish this time of year.

Turkey Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
(Makes 6 servings)

6 Italian turkey sausage links
1 large red bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
1 large green bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
½ large onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp. or more to taste crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
6 torpedo rolls

Using the tines of a fork, poke holes on each side of the sausage links.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once heated, add sausage. Brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes total.

Remove sausage from pan. Set aside.

Add bell pepper slices and onion. Saute for about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes more.

Add water. Bring to a gentle bubble. Return sausage to pan. Cover with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve sausage and peppers on rolls.

Where Have You Been All My Life?

So peeps. I’ve been the WORST blogger ever this month. This comes fresh on the heels of my April 6th Birthday Resolution to Blog at Least Three Times a Week.

Yes. I make birthday resolutions. Well, I call them goals. A glimpse into past goals that have been successfully attained include: Organize the handbag; Be nicer to Mom; Be nicer to Husband; Exercise more; Read more books; Stop worrying. Well, I guess I can call BS on the last one, but whatevs.

Anyway, April is not cracking up to be what it was supposed to be in terms of blogging. There are many reasons, but the one I can tell all y’all about right now is that the Jersey Girl has been way under the weather.

As in so sick, I actually took a sick day.

Yes, I canceled my kiddies’ piano lessons for the entire day last Sunday.

It killed me.

It wounded my soul. I worried about my students all day while sniffling and sneezing and gasping for air.

But, I was under strict orders from The Husband and The Mom and The Dad and The Sistas and The Inlaws and The Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents.

Really, the whole fam was involved.

I didn’t really know what to do with myself. So, I took to the couch with Suduko in hand and watched some trash TV: “Kimora” and “Jerseylicious.”

And, I slept for a bazillion hours or so.

So what ails me?

First off, I got a cold. No biggie, right?

Except well, this mother of a cold triggered massive asthma conditions that seriously kicked my bootie. And it came in the midst of spring allergy season, my most fav time of year. (Cough. Cough. Sarcasm.)

I’m still taking meds for this mess, and it’s been almost two weeks.

You sure do appreciate the ability to breathe when it becomes so difficult.

Anyway, hopefully the worst is over. And hopefully, I won’t have to spend so many hours in doctors’ offices this week, so more blogging for me and you.

Yay!

And, I should point out that my health situation sort of put of a damper on the appetite. But when I was feeling hungry, I made this:

This dish is called Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes. It’s by my girl Giada and it’s from her cookbook “Giada’s Kitchen.” This was the first time I ever made it. Love. I had a boatload of sausage left over, because in my parts you really can’t buy less than a pound of sausage at one time. So, I cooked the extra links and The Husband had them for lunch one day.

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes
From “Giada’s Kitchen”
By Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 links (7 ounces total) mild turkey sausage, casings removed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, cut in ¼-inch strips
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, but still firm to the bit, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey sausage and sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes and red pepper flakes (if using) to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid, and transfer it to a large serving bowl. Add the sausage mixture, 1 Tbsp. of the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to combine, adding the reserved cooking liquid if needed to loosen the pasta. Top with the Parmesan and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

A Quick Fix

In these parts, Sausage and Peppers reigns supreme.
But allow me to introduce you to Sausage and Broccoli Rabe:

It’s so delish, dear readers.

Why wouldn’t you give it a try?

I made this for din one night last week in the midst of Christmas preparations when my time was a bit limited and a package of turkey sausage was hanging out in my freezer.

If you don’t know about Broccoli Rabe, I will totally do my best to explain: Broccoli Rabe – pronounced “Rob” has many pseudonyms. It’s also known as Broccoli di Rape and Broccoletti and many other variations. It’s related to turnips and quasi looks like broccoli, but in my humble opinion it tastes nothing like broccoli. It’s usually more bitter than broccoli and it’s really not crunchy in texture, but it’s also not mushy like ick nast overcooked regular broccoli.

I’ve been eating broccoli rabe foreva eva. It’s way popular in southern Italy, and that’s pretty much how my family eats.

At various establishments in South Jersey and in Philadelphia, you will find broccoli rabe atop a fab roasted pork sandwich with melty provolone cheese on a perfect crusty Italian roll. So good it will warm your soul.

I think I need to make THAT sandwich.

Anyway, you can rock this out with any type of sausage. I was trying to keep it a bit healthy since Christmas Eve and Christmas were right around the corner and those two days involved copious amounts of eating and drinking.

Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
1 pound turkey sausage in casings (5 or 6 pieces)
1 pound broccoli rabe, washed in cold water, chopped, with stems removed
4 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Torpedo rolls, sliced

In a saucepan, place broccoli rabe and two inches of water. Cover pan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Cook until broccoli rabe is tender. About 10 minutes.

Remove most of the water from the pan using a ladle or a colander. Leave about ½ cup of water in the pan. Return pan to burner set on medium heat. Drizzle 1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil over broccoli rabe. Season with salt and pepper. Push broccoli rabe to one side of the pan. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the open section of the pan. Saute in the olive oil for two minutes. Toss broccoli rabe with the garlic and red pepper flakes.

Meanwhile, lightly brush a drizzle of olive oil on a grill pan. Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Place sausage on pan and brown on all sides. About 10-15 minutes.

Once the turkey sausage is browned, add to the broccoli rabe mixture. Cover the pan and heat through over medium-low heat.

Serve on crusty rolls.