Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage - Chefwiz.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, plus an additional 1 tablespoon
• 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage (bulk)
• 4 cloves of garlic, cracked and chopped
• 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 4 to 6 sprigs of sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 cup of chicken stock (canned or paper container)
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream (about 3 turns around the pan)
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (ground or freshly grated)
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 1 pound of penne rigate, cooked until al dente
• Romano or Parmigiano (for grating)
• Pumpernickel or whole grain bread (as an accompaniment)
• Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion (as an accompaniment, recipe follows
• 1 pound of triple-washed spinach, de-stemmed
• 1 small Golden Delicious apple, quartered, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (a couple of splashes)
• 1 teaspoon of grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon of honey (a good drizzle)