Rigatoni al Ragu' Rustico

Love, love Rigatoni!    I like their ability to suck in the sauce like no other pasta, especially the chunkiest meat sauces.  

Rigatoni al Ragu Rustico

All photos - Copyright - ©2012 - La Casa e Il Giardino

"Ragu' Rustico" (rustic sauce)because characterized by typical ingredients of rural Italian kitchens:  mushrooms and hot sausages.

Ingredients

1 lb. good quality Rigatoni

1 lb. mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, criminis and porcini)

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausages                                 

2 cups tomato pulp in chunks

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano

Sprig parsley, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

home-made hot sausages

Clean and slice mushrooms. 

In a medium pan saute' mushrooms in oil and garlic. 

Remove skin from the sausage and cut into chunks.   

Add the sausage to the mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the white wine and let evaporate. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes. 

In the meantime, cook the pasta.  Drain and pour into the ragu'.

Add the Parmigiano and chopped parsley.

mixed mushrooms

POLENTA di Mais o (granturco)

With snow on the ground and temperature dipping in the teens, there is no better food than a dish of polenta to remove the chill. Polenta made with yellow cornmeal (mais) and water is robust, satisfying and cheap.

 

Polenta with Sausage Ragύ

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino - picasaweb

Contrary to what one might think, polenta is not just popular in Italy but is widespread and well known in other parts of the world, such as Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia and also in Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela. You'll find variations on this dish throughout Italy.

Here is one version - Polenta with Sausage Ragύ

Ingredients - 4 persons

2 cups medium to coarse yellow cornmeal
7 cups of water
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil


Put salt into cold water in a heavy medium pot. Stir in cornmeal. Bring to a boil over high heat, add the olive oil, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until polenta thickens around 40 minutes.





Sausage Ragύ
1 lb. sausage meat
1 small onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
Sprig of parsley
Sprig of basil
Salt and Pepper


In a medium pan, add olive oil, garlic and onion.  Saute' until golden and add sausage meat.  Cook meat for 10 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.  Add tomatoes, parsley, basil and salt and pepper.  Simmer gently for 30 minutes.


Once polenta is cooked, place a small amount on a dish and add some sauce.  Repeat the layers until polenta is used up.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

If you're a vegetarian, omit the sausage meat.