SERVES:
4- 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 pound Italian sausage (hot or mild, see hints)
one medium large onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 large bulb fresh fennel (see procedure)
2 - 3 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
one 28-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
approx. 1 cup sliced, pitted Kalamata olives
grated parmesan cheese for garnish
PROCEDURE:
Get a large pot of water going for cooking the pasta, and then crumble and brown the sausage in a large pan on the stovetop.
Add a little olive oil to keep the sausage from sticking to the pan innitially and, while you're keeping your eye on the sausage, peel one medium large onion, cut it into quarters and thinly slice it and quarter one large bulb of fennel lengthwise, cut out the core, and thinly slice that crosswise as well.
Keep your eye on the sausage and scoop that out of the pan when it's nicely browned and then add another splash of olive oil to the pan and add the onion and fennel.
While that's cooking along, mince 2 cloves of garlic and, once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and cook that for a minute.
Then add the sausage back to the pan and add one 28-ounce can of tomato sauce and stir to combine and continue to simmer along.
Rinse the can with 1/2 cup water and add that to the sauce and, at that point, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook that according to directions.
Drain the pasta when it's done and serve it up in individual bowls with some of the sausage and fennel sauce over the top and finish with some optional sliced Kalamata olives and grated parmesan cheese.
HINTS:
Use sliced Itallian sausage links instead of crumbling sausage patties.
You can add a sprinkling of dried oregano and basil to the sauteing onions for more depth of flavor in the tomato sauce.