INGREDIENTS:
1 pound bucatini pasta* (thick, hollow spaghetti)
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, quartered and core cut away, very thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, very thinly sliced
2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and very thinly sliced**
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (imported Italian tomatoes)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
METHOD:
Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. Salt water and add bucatini and cook to al dente.
While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Add sausage to the skillet and as it cooks, break up the sausage into small pieces. When cooked, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
Return pan to heat and add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add the garlic, fennel, onions, and peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook, over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes until vegetables are tender. Do not allow the fennel and onions to brown. Add the wine or stock, turn up the heat and reduce for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the sausage. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.
Drain the pasta very well and add to the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, then toss pasta with sauce to combine. Transfer pasta to a large shallow platter and cover the pasta with basil leaves. Serve with extra cheese.
*Bucatini is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning “hole,” while bucato means “pierced.”
**Cubanelle peppers are a variety of sweet peppers. When unripe, cubanelle peppers are light yellowish-green in color, but will turn bright red if allowed to ripen. Compared to bell peppers, they have thinner flesh, are longer, and have a slightly more wrinkled appearance.
SOURCE: Adapted from a recipe by Rachael Ray
