Swiss Chard, Patty Pan and Sausage Pasta with Crispy Sage
Last week Farmer John sent back a ton of produce! I was blown away, he had such a poor summer growing season but his fall crop was great. He sent back cabbage, kale, bok choy, another type of Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, lettuce, arugula, radishes, summer squash and a cucumber. The
greens always taste better after a frost, they taste sweeter. I created a pasta dish using the remaining summer squash and patty pan squash and combined it with the sweet Swiss chard from fall. I also used sausage, sage and thyme, I think of these as fall ingredients with a hearty flavor profile. The sage I crisped in olive oil, not only does a make pretty presentation when placed on top, but the flavor is outstanding and really adds a punch. I did make this without the sausage and it was a delicious vegetarian dish. Although Swiss chard grows all season, plant it in the spring as soon as you can work the soil and it will continue to grow until the snow buries it. My husband grew very tired of it a couple of years ago; I always had Swiss chard on hand, always!
Swiss Chard, Patty Pan and Sausage Pasta with Crispy Sage
1 pound pasta
½ pound lean hot Italian sausage
Extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 dried cayenne pepper
4 cups chopped patty pan or summer squash
5 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard including stems
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup red wine
Fresh sage leaves
Fresh thyme sprigs
½ cup half and half
Pecorino Romano cheese
Cook your pasta according to package directions. Keep pasta warm and reserve the pasta liquid. I tried this recipe with two different pastas
and both were equally good. One is a whole wheat linguini and the other is gluten free brown rice fusilli pasta.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage; cook until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with the back of the wooden spoon. The sausage I used was very lean and I added a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. If your sausage is letting off a lot of fat, drain after it is cooked through.
Add onion, garlic and break the cayenne in half, add to pan. If don’t have a whole cayenne use red pepper flakes to taste. Stir and cook for
one minute. Add summer squash and stem of Swiss chard, toss and cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a handful of Swiss chard, toss, when it starts to wilt add another handful; continue this until all Swiss chard is added. Pour wine into pan and scrape up the bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add a couple sprigs of thyme. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover and cook until chard is tender; 5-8 minutes.
Add half and half, stir to incorporate, taste; add more salt and pepper if needed. Add pasta to pan and toss until the pasta completely
coated and creamy; add some pasta water if dry.
Heat a small skillet on medium-high heat add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot add sage leaves, make sure the sage leaves are dried well, and toss until the sage is crispy. This will only take about a minute, set aside. If you have never done this you will be amazed by the crunch and the flavor. Sprinkle with salt and it is a good snack, maybe you better make a few more.
To serve; place pasta on an individual plate, top with a few sage leaves and a grating of Pecorino Romano cheese. Pass additional cheese at the table. Makes 4-6 main dish servings.
