Fennel & Sausage Rigatoni (& an Italian spread)
When we have pasta, I want it to be so good, so irresistible that I can’t help but mop up every last drop of sauce with crispy bread & shove a couple extra forkfuls of the stuff post meal as it makes it’s way to our leftover supply. Sauce-y & meaty & savory - those are the perfect descriptors for a bowl of pasta that’s worth eating. The days of average, under-seasoned red sauce over a heap of overcooked spaghetti are done (or at least should be) when you enter into adulthood. I want something packed with veggies, herbs, and some good meats…..maybe even 2! It’s the kind of dinner that’s worth the calories, & this Fennel & Sausage Rigatoni is worth ever carb & every indulgent bite.
I’d go out on a limb & say that last night was our first true at-home date night of 2020. We’ve gone from hosting family in-town, to working A TON, to visiting family out of town, back to working non-stop, to nursing a flu, and it’s been a little painfully busy. Painful in the sense that it’s left little time for just us two, and I’ve so craved a night to make a true mess in the kitchen & settle in at home. When the New Year comes around, I’m definitely one of those people that makes intentions to carve out more time to nurture myself and my most important relationships, which of course means nurturing my marriage and making sure the year ahead is set to support moments that are loving, peaceful, and what I like to call “ordinarily remarkable,” meaning that even us sitting at home in our jams feels right & rejuvenating. I put a lot of thought into how we can capitalize on our home life - how to fuel fun at-home, have activities that bring us closer, and make living in a happy home really effortless. & I guess we’re lucky that it consistently starts with time spent in the kitchen together. It seems to be one of those things that doesn’t seem to get old or feel mundane no matter how frequent it occurs. So Sunday evening, and finally presented with an opportunity to just be at home, we went full fledged Italian - Italian jams, a lot of grazies & buongiornos being thrown around, & a meal built on Meatball Crostini, Caesar Salad, and Fennel & Sausage Rigatoni.
I’d call this an exploratory kind of meal at our house totally because we got to cook & eat something that before yesterday was foreign territory - fennel. Prior to this dinner, fennel was definitely an ingredient I was afraid of, and one that I avoided. Why? No logical reason. I’d flip through cookbooks searching for recipe inspo, see a mouth wateringly good picture of a gorgeous salad or pasta dish, see that it called for fennel, and just move on to the next thing. Or I’d see it on the menu at a restaurant, and immediately make the decision to not order that particular fennel pervaded menu item. Again, why? Not really sure. I had no guess as to what it tasted like, & no scarring run-in with it. I mean, it’s such an unknown to me that I wasn’t even certain how to cut into it. All I can say is there’s one particular pasta dish that I flip by frequently that looks so good, so saucey & meaty, & it just epitomizes my kinda meal. It has sausage & rigatoni & cream & cheese, & then the x-factor - fennel. I think my curiosity finally got the best of me, & I decided that our first dinner at home in a hot minute meant we’d be dive head first into fennel.
I’d say this recipe was a good introductory to fennel. No raw fennel was consumed in the process, & this recipe calls for fennel to be cooked & caramelized with olive oil, onion, & sweet Italian sausage, deglazed with wine, and then drowned in a creamy tomato sauce. Point being - it’s cooked to submission with lots of other delicious things, so no way it’s not gonna be good. Fennel does take on a texture that mimics sautéed onion - soft, buttery, & it does that whole melt in your mouth thing. It’s kind of sweet, and pairs great with caramelized onion & salty chunks of sausage.
For an appetizer - meatball crostini. Because what would an Italian night be without a meatball in some way, shape, or form? Plus - my coined phrase of Fall 2019 has become “2 meats,” solely referencing the fact that I really love meals featuring 2 meats. In this case, a sausage pasta + a meatball app is the way to satisfy my 2 meat loving inner carnivore.
The way to my husband’s heart - Caesar Salad. It’s such a good neutral salad that pairs so well with almost any meal, and I’m fairly confident that it’s one of a few dishes that always sounds good to Jordan. This Caesar recipe is great for 2 reasons: 1) no anchovies + 2) a creamy, rich dressing that packs a true Caesar salad flavor. & that’s my favorite part of a Caesar. That distinct salty, savory flavor that Jordan just described to me a “spicy” - it’s a classic! Balanced with crisp greens & served ice cold - it’s perfect to compliment a piping hot bowl of pasta.
We had big plans to cook together as part of our Sunday routine - get our hands dirty, experiment, & make way too much food for just us two. & make way too much food we did (we love leftovers). Being together in the kitchen just felt truly enjoyable - even if it boiled down to me taking control over our dinnertime spread and Jordan roaming the web for a new coffee maker. He was doing what would qualify as God’s work here at the Zehner house. Point being it was time well-spent together, and I’m thankful to have the ability to start off a brand new week with a hearty & delicious at-home meal.
For the meatball crostini
1 tsp EVOO
1 shallot, sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 sausage link, removed from the casing
1 egg
1 c. panko
1/4 almond milk
2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
Salt & pepper
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
fresh basil, for garnish
For the Pasta
2-3 tbsp EVOO
1 yellow onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, halved & thinly sliced
4 sweet Italian sausage links
1 c. white wine (I used a cheap Sauv Blanc)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. half & half
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
Salt & pepper
Start by placing a skillet over medium heat. Add in the EVOO & shallot, and cook until softened. It’ll be quick - only 4-5 minutes.
Now move to making your meatballs. First, turn on your broiler. Or if you’re like me and have a finicky oven, crank it to 475. In a bowl, add your raw meat, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, and milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together - squishing the meat between your fingers to get everything evenly combined. Using a small cookie scoop (roughly 2 tbsp in size), scoop the meatball mixture onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for about 8-12 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the meatballs don’t burn. You want the meatballs to be browned all over.
While the meatballs cook, place the tomato sauce and garlic in a large skillet over medium low heat. Remove the meatballs from the oven & place immediately in the tomato sauce. Cover & let cook for 10-15 minutes. They should be cooked through. Turn off the heat until you’re ready to eat.
Now get to pasta making. Place a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO, the onion, and fennel. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the sausage and use a stiff spatula or spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Let the sausage cook for about 8 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, bringing the heat up to high as soon as you add in the cooking liquid. Let the sauce boil and reduce to about half. Add in the tomato paste, red pepper, and pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to get the tomato paste well incorporated. Stir in the heavy cream and half & half, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and keep warm.
Place a large pot of water over high heat. As soon as it’s boiling, add in the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, and pour the noodles directly into the pasta sauce. Add in the minced parsley, and stir. Turn the heat down to low, and cover the pot.
Slice a demi baguette into thin slices, about a 1/2 inch thick. Lay in a single layer on the baking sheet, and toast at 400 degrees. Let them toast until they’re lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and top with a single meatball and a small spoonful of extra sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil, arrange on your favorite serving tray. Serve alongside a warm bowl of pasta and greens, & eat.