Description
For many of us, the pinnacle of summer months is the highly anticipated vacation. While we are away, we enjoy the sites, relax and sample the local cuisine. I often find the specialty foods I’ve sampled while on vacation inspire me when I return home. So I either recreate or create a new dish that captures the flavors in my memory palate. It is with this inspiration that I created this new recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 pints Cherry/grape Tomatoes
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 whole Medium Shallots, Minced
- 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 pound Sweet Turkey Sausage, Casings Removed
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- ⅔ cups White Wine
- 8 leaves Sage, Washed And Roughly Torn Into Large Pieces
- 12 ounces, weight Feta Cheese, Crumbled (fat Free Is Okay To Use)
- ¼ cups Chopped Scallions
- 8 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
- 1 pound Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
Preparation
Roast the tomatoes: Preheat oven to 300 F. Cut tomatoes in half. Place them cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the tomatoes for between 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes at 300 F. The tomatoes are done when they are shriveled and brown. Remove from oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet before removing.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then, add the sausage and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook until completely browned and crumbled (about 10 minutes).
Add the wine and sage leaves and cook until the wine is evaporated. Stir in the feta, roasted tomatoes and half the scallions.
Add the chicken stock in ¼ cup increments as you continue cooking for 5 minutes. The “meat sauce” should not be dry or soupy. You want just enough liquid to keep the sauce moist but not wet.
While making the sauce, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the meat mixture and cook for 2 more minutes over high heat, stirring to combine the pasta and sauce. Garnish with the remaining scallions and serve.
Yields 4-6 servings.
