This wasn’t supposed to be a blog post, just dinner on Monday night. There are no photos of cherry tomatoes casually rolling toward the edge of the counter, or a scatter of pasta strategically positioned behind the bowl. There’s not even a fork, just a quick snapshot because I was texting it to Wolf to get him to hurry up on home. Then, I was pleasantly surprised by how fast and delicious it actually was, so, well, here we are. Gemelli con salsiccia e pomodorini…which sounds fancy, no? Gemelli with sausage and cherry tomatoes. Let’s go.
I get the daily emails from Il Corvo Pasta here in Seattle, partly just to torture myself, but also for inspiration. Chef/Owner Mike Easton does lunch five days a week serving up handmade/hand cranked artisan pasta with simple, delicious sauces (this delicious). Inspired by that approach, there are just five ingredients – the gemelli, mild Italian turkey sausage, white wine and cherry tomatoes, plus a little Italian parsley for garnish. That’s it. Not even a grain of salt.
Dinner on the table, in less than 30. Enjoy.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling bowl and salt it generously. Boil the gemelli for 1 minute less than the package directs.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Brown the sausage, breaking it up into bits about the size of a large pea. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the cherry tomatoes. Add 2 T. of water and cover to help the tomatoes start to break down. Cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes to release their juices.
Add the pasta and stir to coat evenly with sauce. Cook for 1 additional minute. The pasta should start to absorb the sauce a bit. Serve in bowls and garnish with parsley.