Anticiplate

I’m back!!! I know it seems like I have been MIA recently, but last week we were in New York City visiting our best friends Drew and Josh.  Before that, my ballet company was finishing up a wildly successful premiere of Romeo et Juliette. Needless to say, I was eager to get back in the kitchen and start to cook again. 

I found this recipe in the March 2008 Bon Appetit. I like their magazine, because they have so many fast, weeknight recipes to choose from. There are millions of ideas to get inspired by. When I got the magazine in the mail, I dog-eared about 10 recipes that I was dying to cook. I planned to follow this particular recipe verbatim, but I ended up modifying it a bit. 

The crispy garlic in this recipe is to die for!!! It really makes the dish. 

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

3/4 lb. fettuccine (you could use whole wheat, but I prefer egg)

2 tbsp. salted butter, divided

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 big cloves of garlic, finely sliced (I know it seems like a lot)

2 tbsp. sage, finely chopped plus more small leaves for garnish

1 lb. spicy Italian chicken sausages, casings removed (you could use sweet Italian sausage if you don’t like spice)

1 c. grated Asiago cheese (I found this at Whole Foods in cheese case)

1 1/2 lb. broccoli stalks, trimmed two inches below crowns

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 c. grated Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut each crown of broccoli lengthwise into 4-5 pieces. Place broccoli in a large bowl and toss with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Put broccoli on a baking sheet. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, salt the water generously. 

When water is boiling, put broccoli in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  

Place pasta in the water and cook according to package instructions. 

While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter on medium, in a large skillet. Place the garlic in pan and cook for 1 minute or until lightly golden. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. 

Increase heat to medium-high. Add chopped sage to the same skillet and saute for 20 seconds. Then add the sausage, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, breaking the meat up with the back of your spoon, until the meat is brown and crispy.  

Drain pasta, but reserve 1/4 c. of the cooking liquid. In a large bowl add the pasta and 1 tbsp. butter. Toss.  Add the 1/4 c. cooking liquid to the sausage skillet and scrape the brown bits up with the back of your spoon. Add the sausage mixture to the bowl. Toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Take broccoli out of the oven. Toss it in a bowl with 1/2 c. grated asiago cheese. 

To plate, top pasta with crispy garlic and grated asiago. Garnish with small sage leaves. Serve broccoli on the side.