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Pasta With Turkey
Italian Sausage &
Tomato-Vodka Sauce
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I
N G R E D I E N T S
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 24 ounce can Italian style plum tomatoes, chopped, reserve juice
1/2 pound mild Turkey Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into pieces
1/2 pound hot Turkey Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into pieces
1/2 cup of vodka
1 cup whipping creme
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup for sauce and 1/2 cup for serving)
1 pound of Rigatoni (see substitutions)
I
N S T R U C T I O N S
Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium high
heat. Add the turkey, stirring with a wooden spoon and breaking the pieces into bite sized
bits. Remove the turkey once it is cooked almost through and set it aside.
(Heat the water for the pasta while you continue making the sauce.)
Add the olive to the pan and heat it. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and the
Italian seasons and stir until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the
tomatoes, the reserved juices, and the reserved turkey and any accumulated juices.
Simmer and stir the mixture about 10 minutes. (Start cooking the pasta now, normally
8 - 9 minutes for "al dente") Add the vodka, stir and simmer for another 5
minutes. Add the creme and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and simmer until the sauce
thickens slightly.
Remove the pasta once it is cooked, and drain in a colander (do
not rinse). Add the drained pasta to the sauce, stir to coat. Transfer to a
large pasta dish. Pass the remaining cheese to top each individual serving.
Serve with a simple field greens salad with crumbled blue cheese and a bit of
olive oil, and some crusty French or Italian style bread.
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Tips & Substitutions
Substitutions
Vodka -
Tomato-vodka sauce is a traditional Italian preparation. If you prefer to
omit the alcohol you may want to substitute 1/2 cup chicken broth for a bit more flavor,
or leave the liquid out completely.
Vegetarian
Version - We have prepared this dish without the meat and it is still quite
delicious. Add an extra clove of minced garlic and some hot pepper flakes to enhance the
flavor.
Pasta Options - This
recipe works well with Penne pasta as well.
Penne
Rigatoni
 
Parmesan Cheese - The best
cheese for this recipe is imported Parmigiano Reggiano. If you can't get it, you can buy
domestic cheese. But DO grate the cheese yourself. Pre-grated cheese in most
cases includes additives to prevent the cheese from caking and a taste that bears little
resemblance to the real thing. Parmesan grating just takes a few minutes and is well
worth the effort.
Cheese Graters - These are
our two favorite Parmesan cheese graters. The plane-style grater makes quick work of
the grating task.
Miicroplane Grater $10.99
The rotary grater is perfect for grating
small amounts of cheese right at the table.
Zyliss Rotary
Cheese Grater $16.99
Turkey Sausage - You can
substitute traditional pork Italian Sausage, however lean turkey sausage is lower in fat.
For The New Cook
Boiling pasta to the "al dente" stage - Al dente is Italian for "to the tooth".
When the pasta is cooked properly you should be able to bite into it and feel a
slight resistance against your tooth. It should not be soft or mushy.
Don't Rinse The Pasta - We recommend you don't rinse the pasta before you add it to the
sauce. Washing removes the starch on the outside of the pasta so the sauce does not
adhere as well.
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