Orecchiette With Fennel and Sausage
Published March 3, 2020
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage with fennel
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and chopped (about 2 cups), fronds reserved
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt
12 ounces orecchiette
¼ cup mascarpone
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 ounce pecorino, grated
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
76 grams carbs; 56 milligrams cholesterol; 663 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 25 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 830 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil in a 3-quart sauté pan on medium-low. Add the sausages and cook, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove sausages to a cutting board. Add fennel seeds to the pan, cook until fragrant, then add fresh fennel, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent and just starting to color, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. Turn off heat.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 13 to 15 minutes. As the pasta cooks, quarter the sausages lengthwise, then slice ½-inch thick. Add sausage to the sauté pan and heat on medium-low. Stir in mascarpone and season generously with pepper. Add ½ cup pasta water. Stir and continue heating gently. Mince 2 tablespoons of reserved fennel fronds.
- Step 3
When the pasta is done, reserve another ½ cup pasta water. Drain pasta — you don’t have to be utterly thorough about it — and add it to the sauté pan along with enough additional pasta water for a mixture that’s quite moist but not soupy. Check seasoning, fold in parsley and fennel fronds, and transfer to a serving dish, individual plates or bowls. Serve with pecorino alongside.
Private Notes
Comments
I added a squeeze of lemon right at the end and it really brightened it up. I was skeptical that the fennel fronds were necessary but they were also a really nice addition.
I am now staying at home because of COVID-19 and did not have mascarpone cheese and was certainly not going out just to get it. You can use cream cheese instead (didn't have that either) but sour cream, especially with a tablespoon of cream (I bet yogurt would do in a pinch) was what I used. This was extremely tasty and comforting!
Really, really good. Used more sausage and mascarpone and a fewer noodles. Delicious.
Ground lamb is an excellent alternative to the sausage in this recipe! I was also out of mascarpone so I used slightly more cream cheese than the recommended mascarpone and it came out great.
5 stars with the addition of lemon as others said; 4 stars without.
I had sub par mark down sausage. A rather old fennel bulb and a red onion on the verge. Only the last schluck of cream on the edge, good full fat yogurt- but no mascarpone. Costco pecorino and no orchiette. Needless to say my expectations were low! Yet this turned out to be so easy &!bursting with flavor. Add some jarred Calabrian or red pepper flakes and be sure to caramelize that fennel. it’s magical!