Creamy Orecchiette with Sausage and Chard

This week, the sunny, mild autumn days have made the abrupt change to cool and rainy. As a former Seattleite, I can't hide my love for the grey and drizzle. Days like this are perfect for making a pot of tea, popping a chill album on the stereo, and experimenting in the kitchen. Looking for some warmth and comfort, I found my self craving a creamy bowl of pasta. This recipe, which combines sweet Italian sausage, fresh chard, and aromatic rosemary in a decadent cream sauce, was the perfect choice.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-pound mild Italian chicken or pork sausage

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 bunch Swiss or Rainbow chard, leaves and stems divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Juice of half a lemon

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk, heated

½ to ¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground mustard

1 pound orecchiette pasta

Directions:

Rinse and dry the chard. Remove the leaves from the stems, reserving both. Stack the leaves and roll into a cigar shape, then slice into strips. Separately, finely chop the stems to the same size as the celery. Keep leaves and stems separate.

In a Dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage to pan, breaking up into small chunks and crumbles while browning. When sausage is fully cooked though, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a plate.

Add the celery and chard stems to the same pot. If needed add a little more oil. Season with salt and black pepper, then sauté until tender. Raise the heat to medium-high, then add the chard leaves and quickly stir until beginning to wilt. Add the garlic, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Sauté until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and scrape up the bottom of the pan. The chard leaves should maintain a vibrant green color. Remove vegetables and add to the plate of sausage.

Reduce heat back down to medium, then melt the butter in pan. Add the flour, and stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until a golden roux is bubbling in pan. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and reduce heat to low. Continue to whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Next whisk in the heavy cream, parmesan, nutmeg, and ground mustard. Keep cooking and whisking for 5 to 6 minutes until you have a rich creamy sauce. Add more milk if it gets too thick.

Meanwhile, fill a second large pot with salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook to package instructions for al-dente. Before draining the pasta reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, return the sausage and greens to the cream sauce. Stir to heat through. Keep at low temperature, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is drained, add to the pot with sauce. Add about half of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Keep stirring as the water gets absorbed into the sauce and pasta. If sauce is too thick, add more of the pasta water a little at a time until pasta is suspended in creaminess. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Serve immediately with plenty of fresh grated parmesan over the top and a crack of black pepper.

Notes:

Orecchiette is special round pasta shape from Southern Italy whose name translates to "little ears." You can often find this dried pasta in larger grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can substitute with fusilli, cavatelli, conchigliette, or even rigatoni.

There is plenty of room to make this recipe your own. Instead of chard, you could use kale without using the stems. Fresh arugula could be used as well. For a little extra green, sometimes I like to add ¼ cup of frozen or fresh peas to the sauce at the same time as the pasta. Cooking just until done, and still bright green.

Serve this comforting dish with plenty of grated cheese to pass at the table. A crisp light salad would be a welcomed fresh accompaniment on the side. Enjoy!