Ben and I were walking through the market on a Monday night,
which is our normal routine these days.
A day off the bike = time to go to the grocery. So, we were walking
through the market, the olive and cheese section to be specific, discussing what
we might have for dinner. This
conversation, while walking hungrily through the grocery, rarely ends well, but
on this occasion, it ended brilliantly.
I pulled some freshly shaved parmigiano-reggiano from the
shelf, smiled, and started laying out the recipe in my mind.
It goes something like this (feel free to improvise at will,
as this entire recipe is an improvisation):
8oz. Whole wheat spaghetti (I actually used gluten free spaghetti,
because that is what I had in the pantry)
½ lb Italian chicken sausage, ground
½ Tablespoon olive oil
1 large tomato, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted (or not)
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Put a large pot of water on to boil and heat up the cast iron
pan. Cook chicken sausage in the cast
iron pan until well cooked and beginning to brown. Cook pasta according to package instructions,
with a splash of salt for good measure. Prepare tomato, cilantro, walnuts and
cheese.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot, over low
heat.
Add cooked chicken sausage, tomato, cilantro, walnuts, and toss
with olive oil over. Stir until warm
throughout.
Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top.
That’s all there is to it.
Simple, delicious, and quick.
Enjoy!