First off, I apologize in advance for not having pictures up as they got deleted from my phone however, this meal was so good it must be put up on the blog!
Last weekend I made dinner for some friends; spicy italian sausage with penne and a creamy tomato sauce and a spinach salad with prosciutto and an orange vinaigrette. The pasta recipe is another that my mom used to make all the time when I was in high school as I love it and it is easy and makes for a lot so there are usually leftovers.
The salad is from Giada, my favorite food network chef for obvious reasons...she cooks amazing Italian food. I did make some changes in the dressing though as I originally thought it was too sweet. Anyway the recipes follow, maybe not having pictures will motivate you guys more to make these recipes!
Penne Recipe: (serves 4-6) Salad Recipe:
16 oz of Italian sausage (I prefer spicy) 9 oz of fresh spinach
12 oz of whole wheat penne pasta 3 oz prosciutto
1 medium onion (I used purple but white is fine) 2 oranges zested and juiced
3 cloves of garlic (minced) 1 garlic clove
1/2 cup half and half 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white wine 2 tbsp honey or 1 tbsp sugar
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes (I used no salt added) 1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes salt and pepper
1 tbsp oregano 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Directions:
First get a large high walled skillet and mix in the butter and olive oil. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves and lightly brown them with the oil and mix in the spices. Once the onions are browned mix in the ground sausage and break into small pieces. Meanwhile start boiling some water for the penne pasta and cook the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking once the water is boiling.
Once the meat is fully cooked mix in the wine and let sit at a lower heat until it almost all evaporated, then mixed in the can of chopped tomatoes and let simmer. After a minute or so mix in the cream and let sit for a few minutes so the sauce thickens. Add the parmesan cheese and then pour over the pasta and mix together.
Sprinkle additional parmesan over and oregano over the pasta and some fresh parsley if you want to make it pretty (Make it Italian and serve with wine!)
Salad:
First, turn the oven at 350 and lay the slices of prosciutto on a baking pan and cook for about 3 minutes (so it is crispy like bacon but not burnt). Rinse the spinach and place in a large bowl and break apart the crispy prosciutto.
Next, we'll make the dressing. Hopefully you have a blender or food processor to make the dressing. Cut a clove of garlic up and mince in the food processor, zest the oranges and squeeze the juice into the processor. Blend together and add the honey, balsamic, salt pepper, and olive oil. Mix in the cayenne (this is what I added to reduce the sweetness and add a flair). Pour the dressing over the spinach (Most likely won't need it all) and mix together. Serve and eat Just Good Food.
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