Cook the Book: Pasta with Peas, Sausage, and Mint

Cook the Book
Adam Kuban
Cook the Book: Pasta with Peas, Sausage, and Mint

As the week winds on, Eric Gower, the author of The Breakaway Cook, keeps impressing me with the simple but delicious-sounding recipes in this book. I haven't cooked his Pasta with Peas, Sausage, and Mint yet, but rest assured, I'm adding it to my recipe collection and will probably use mango sausage, as Gower recommends, when I cook it (which will probably be for dinner tonight).

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
  • 4 cups frozen baby peas
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon, preferably Meyer
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1 pound linguine (or other pasta)
  • 1 cup chopped fresh sausage (about 1/2 pound)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. 1.

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

  2. 2.

    Add 3 cups of peas to the onion-garlic mixture, stir, and add the lemon juice. Continue to cook for 10 minutes, until the peas are thoroughly warmed.

  3. 3.

    Add the chicken stock; bring to a boil. Turn off heat, transfer mixture to a blender (in batches, if needed), and pulse until coarsely puréed. Add the mint and purée. Return the purée to the pan and keep warm over low heat.

  4. 4.

    Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. While pasta cooks, sauté the sausage in a separate small pan until crisped at the edges and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain cooked pasta; transfer to a large serving bowl. Thoroughly mix in the sauce. Taste for salt, and top with the sausage and cheese.

Show 4 Comments