Ziti With Sausage, Onions, and Fennel |
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Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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Cooking Light. Dec 04. Ingredients:
1 (1 1/4 lb) fennel bulbs |
6 quarts water |
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided |
1 lb uncooked ziti pasta (short, tube-shaped pasta) |
1 tablespoon olive oil |
1 lb sweet italian sausage |
2 cups onions, wedges (about 2 medium, cut 1/4-inch-thick) |
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes |
1/4 cup tomato paste |
1/4 cup grated fresh pecorino romano cheese |
Directions:
1. Trim fennel, reserving fronds and bulb. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise; cut each bulb half lengthwise into (1/4-inch-thick) slices. Cut bulb slices into 2-inch-long pieces. Chop fennel fronds to measure 1/3 cup.
2. Bring 6 quarts water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir in pasta; partially cover, and return to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Cook 8 minutes or until the pasta is almost al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 cups cooking water.
4. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings.
5. Add sausage to Dutch oven; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Push sausage to one side of pan.
6. Add onion to open space in pan; cook 1 minute or until onion begins to soften. Stir onion into sausage.
7. Push onion mixture to one side of the pan. Add fennel bulb to open space in pan; cook 1 minute or until fennel begins to soften.
8. Stir fennel into onion mixture. Stir in pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute. Move the sausage and fennel mixture to outside edges of pan, leaving an open space in center.
9. Add 1/4 cup tomato paste to open space in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir tomato paste into fennel mixture.
10. Add reserved 2 cups cooking water to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until fennel is tender.
11. Add fennel fronds and pasta; cook 2 minutes or until pasta is al dente, tossing to combine. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Serve immediately.
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