Recipe Redux: Martha’s Pasta with Sausage and Fennel

I’ve been wanting to try this recipe from Martha ever since my chef-alicious sister posted it during her guest blog.  Sausage + fennel = one happy stomach.

The ingredients and the instructions for Rigatoni (well, Farfalle) with Sausage and Fennel are all on Kathryn’s post.  A few editorial comments:

• Use less pasta (maybe half a box, especially if you’re only serving for two people), more fennel (the full bulb) and more carrots (one or two more).  The veggies get a bit lost in the pound of pasta.
• Add a clove or two of minced garlic while you’re browning the sausage, and season the mixture with black pepper.
• In fact, while you’re seasoning the sausage, a handful of crushed reds probably wouldn’t hurt (if you’re into that kind of thing).
• While the pasta cools, tossing it with arugula will up the healthy quotient and give it a nice peppery taste.

The Verdict:

With a few tweaks (sorry, Martha), this is really, really good.  Well worth your while and your wine.