Spaghetti con Salsiccia

Spaghetti con Salsiccie
Sausage figures widely in Italian cooking. It is grilled, marinated and baked, sautéed and crumbled into sauces. This dish uses it as the base for a pasta sauce. You can vary the spices to make it sweeter-tasting or more piccante, as you prefer.

½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot Italian sausage link
1 sweet Italian sausage link
4-5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
a splash of red wine
1 tsp. thyme
a good dash of red chile flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. When they are soft and translucent, add the sausage (removed from the casings) and use a fork to break it up while you brown it. When it is browned, add the tomatoes, wine, and spices. Stir well; cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Serve on spaghetti or any other pasta shape, cooked al dente.

copyright 2006 Valerie Schneider