Pasta a la Amanda

Pasta a la Amanda


1 lb sweet Italian sausage (link or bulk)
12-16 oz sliced mushrooms
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps dried marjoram
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c chicken broth
1/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
Dash red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 c heavy cream (approximate)
1 lb linguini pasta
Olive oil
Flaked or shredded Italian cheese such as Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, or a combination

If using link sausage, remove from casings, break into small pieces. In a heaving large pan, brown sausage in a small amount of olive oil.  Add minced garlic (and optional fennel and red pepper flakes) and sauté for about a minute. Add sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté. Add marjoram and stir. Then add tomatoes and broth. Cover with lid and let sauce simmer at least 1/2 hour. Cook linguini in salted water. Before draining pasta, add 1-2 ladles of pasta water to the sauce. At this point taste if any additional salt is necessary. Drain pasta. Add the cream to the sauce and the the pasta also. Stir to combine.

Serve with cheese.

Note: the liquid measurements are approximate. You can always add a little more broth at the end if the sauce is too thick. The cream added is dependent on your taste. You could substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt. If you have leftovers, you will probably need to add a little broth to reheat because the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid during storage. Since there is cream in the sauce, be careful not to burn when reheating.

The sauce should have a pronounced flavor of marjoram. The measurement given is approximate. If you have fresh marjoram available, you can use an entire bunch, leaves stripped from the stems.

This dish is inspired by one prepared for us by Amanda Anselmino.