Pasta with Sausage, Spinach and Mascarpone

It's a simple recipe you will be making over and over again.  Sausage and spinach are two of the most versatile ingredients in cooking.    Who doesn't like sausage?  You can use turkey if you like.  Whichever you use, be sure you have a little fat in the pan remaining before adding the pasta.  These ingredients serve as a wonderful stuffing for ravioli which will be a later post.   You can even make stuffing for Cannelloni.  Whatever you do, start with the freshest ingredients you have available.   If you are using frozen spinach, be sure and add salt to the water when boiling your spinach.  Be sure the spinach is well drained before adding it back to the pan for a quick saute.  Fresh spinach will cook faster.  It is not necessary to boil it first.  You can just saute it in your pan.  Here is the recipe.   Buon Appetito!
Ingredients:  Serves 4
12 ounce good quality Italian Pasta
12 ounce bag of frozen spinach
1/2 pound pork or turkey sausage
3 tablespoons of olive oil plus extra if your pan is to dry.
2 tablespoons of red/white onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
2 teaspoons of salt 
2 teaspoons of pepper
pinch of red pepper
1/2 cup of white wine
One large saute pan (flat)
1-2 tablespoons of Mascarpone cheese
Plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to serve.  I  like about 1/2 cup sprinkled over your pasta, just before you take it to the table. 
 
 One large 8quart pasta pot filled with salted water, brought to a rolling boil
Method:
I love a recipe that in the time it takes to boil and cook pasta, your condimento is ready.   This is perfect.  
1.  Place your water on to boil for your pasta
2.  In the meantime, salt your water, add your spinach and boil according to package directions.  Drain well and set aside.  If you are using Fresh spinach, you will skip this step as the spinach can go straight to the saute pan.  Cook until wilted and remove.

 3.  Heat your oil in the saute pan and add your sausage.  Carefully brown your sausage.  It should just take a few minutes on medium.  Add one teaspoon of salt, your wine and let cook for a few minutes.   Cook until your wine has completely evaporated from the pan and the sausage looks somewhat dry.  There still should be some fat left in the pan.  If it look to dry, add some olive oil.        Remove your sausage from the pan and add your onion and garlic.  Carefully add another tablespoon of olive oil and saute until fragrant. 

4.  Carefully add your spinach back to the pan and saute for just a few minutes and mix in your sausage.   Turn the heat off and let it rest.  Add your black and pinch of red pepper.  Cook your pasta.
When your pasta is almost done, add your Mascarpone.   Do not turn on the heat.   Add some starchy cooking water to your spinach (about a 1/3 of a cup), and you will notice the cheese will begin to melt some.   Do not worry.  The heat from the pasta will do the rest of the work for you.  You can use a bowl if you like, but I like to serve things straight from the pan.   Who wants to wash another dish?

 5.  Drain your pasta, mix and serve.   Don't forget to add plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.  
Buon Appetito!