RECIPE
This is a special recipe I adopted, then stole, then adapted from Lauren Bilboa, one of my favorite neighbors ever in Eugene, Oregon, when I was in my early 20s. Lauren crossed my path at just the right time and triggered my passion for fresh herbs. She showed me how easy it was to add 2 bunches of parsley to a simple pasta dish, making it a routine practice for me. To this day, this is one of my most recreated recipes. All of my family and close friends have this dish in their meal rotations. Its flavor, quickness, and low cost have always impressed eaters. Spicy Italian sausage forms the base of the dish, flavored with loads of garlic, fennel seeds, and spicy chili flakes. Tender and briny black olives help cut the richness, and the parsley adds incredible fresh depth. The pasty tomato and heavy cream create a luscious, creamy sauce that coats the pasta perfectly. The pasta is topped with flake salt, cracked black pepper, and loads of freshly grated parmesan. This dish simultaneously tastes of pure luxury and comfort.
Olive oil for the pan ( about 2-3 tablespoons)
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon dried fennel seeds
1-2 teaspoons dried red chili flakes
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
2 bunches (2-3 cups) flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups tomato sauce (or 2 6-ounce cans)
1 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 package (16 ounce package) linguini or bucatini pasta cooked
Maldon flake salt or regular salt for serving
Freshly grated parmesan
Freshly cracked black pepper
Once the sausage is browned and crumbly, add the parsley and salt, stirring and cooking for a few more minutes. Add the black olives and continue to cook and stir. Pour in the tomato sauce and mix together well. Keep the burner on medium-high heat and cook out all of the tomato liquid. The tomato sauce will become tomato paste-like and should be sticking tightly to the meat. Once the sauce is fully absorbed into the meat, which should take about 5-8 full minutes of stirring while keeping the burner on medium heat, reduce the temperature to low and pour in the heavy cream. Mix together until all of the cream is mixed in and turn off the burner.
Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce and mix well. Let it sit covered for a few minutes before serving. Serve seasoned with some flake salt or regular salt, freshly cracked pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese.
This recipe is best followed precisely for the optimal experience, this is rare for my recipes. Spice level preferences can be personalized by adjusting the amount of garlic and red chili flakes. Whatever you do, do not omit the salt, pepper and parmesan toppings. Flat leaf parsley is specific. The texture and flavor of curly parsley will not yield the same flavor results, it has its place and this isn’t it.
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