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Pitch a Tent

Written by Cafe Miranda / Kerry Altiero

Saturday, 03 March 2007

Pitch a Tent

Serving: 1 full meal (Sous chef Dave jokes that Miranda is known for its small portions; don’t believe him!)

2 links quality hot Italian sausage
1 ½ cups pearl onion, peeled (if frozen, thaw first)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cups torn fresh kale
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup Marsala wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 8X8” sheet pasta (Fresh is preferred, but quality dried can be found in gourmet or specialty shops. Strips of lasagna noodles can be substituted in a pinch.)
Olive oil, only the best
1 sprig fresh thyme (dried if you must, but only a small amount)
1 cup quality beef broth or your own veal stock
Fresh chives and/or cracked black pepper as garnish
1. Heat fry pan on medium high heat. Brown one side of sausage in a small amount of olive oil. Sausage is naturally fatty, so you don’t need much olive oil, just enough to help it brown.

2. Boil 4 cups lightly salted water for pasta.

3. Flip sausage and push to top of the pan. Add onions and brown lightly, adding more olive oil if necessary. Add mushrooms and continue to brown. Rotate sausage as needed.

4. Turn heat to medium and add Marsala, scraping pan.

5. Add beef broth, heavy cream, kale and thyme. Cover and simmer while cooking pasta.

6. Cook the pasta to al dente (about ¾ time marked on the box). Strain and toss with olive oil.

7. Uncover the sausage. Cook longer if a thicker sauce is desired.

8. Serve sausage on plate, one resting atop the other in a cross. Spoon the sauce and vegetables over the top. Drape pasta sheet over the sausage and vegetables as a tent.

9. Garnish with fresh chives and/or cracked black pepper.

10. Serve with a tannic red wine or dark rich beer to release the heat of the sausage.

For a lower fat, lower calorie version of “Pitch a Tent,” substitute chicken sausage for traditional and leave out the cream. If using homemade veal stock, the sauce will still thicken. If using beef stock, you may need to add a tablespoon or so of flour to act as a thickening agent. If you prefer to retain the cream sauce but want fewer calories, substitute light cream for heavy.

–Chefs Kerry Altiero and David Joseph, Café Miranda, Rockland ME