Pasta is a perfect canvas for the palate of summer flavors found at the farmers market. For this dish, I was inspired by the traditional Italian flavors of sweet sausage, peppers, and onions but took it to the next level by using different varieties of those classic flavors. In this recipe, I use Shishito Peppers that have a bit of a kick to them and Spring Onions that provide a more mellow onion flavor. I also added some other fresh farmers market finds like cherry tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. All ingredients were sourced from the Downingtown Farmers Market (please see my vendor’s list below). It serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
1 lb Sweet (or Hot) Italian Sausage
1 lb Rigatoni (or your pasta or choice)
1 Bunch Spring Onions (chopped about 2 cups)
1 Pint of Shishito Peppers (halved and then cut into 1” pieces)
1 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes, halved.
3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and halved
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (more if needed)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
Kosher Salt to taste
How I Make It:
Heat Olive Oil on medium heat in a large sauce pan or dutch oven.
Add the halved garlic cloves and stir them in the oil to flavor the oil.
Add the entire rope of sausage and allow it to brown on one side (about 3-4 minutes) and then the other (3-4 minutes). Remove the Sausage and set aside. Remove the garlic cloves and discard.
There should be at least 1 Tbsp of olive oil left in the pan (add more if needed).
Add chopped onions and a pinch of salt and stir vigorously, allowing the onions and their moisture to deglaze the brown bits on the pan. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions have browned slightly, then push them to the outside of the pan (add more olive oil, if needed).
Add the chopped peppers and allow them to get a little color on them for about 3 minutes.
While peppers are cooking, slice the browned sausage into 3/4” pieces (it will still be pink in the middle).
Stir the peppers, adding a pinch of salt, and allow them to cook for 2 minutes then stir them in with the onions and push the mixture to the outside of the pan.
Place the sliced sausage in the center of the pan and allow to finish browning about a minute on each side.
Add the pasta to 4-6 quarts of boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions (in this case, 3 minutes).
Add halved tomatoes to the sausage and peppers mixture and stir to incorporate, allowing the tomatoes to warm through. Reduce heat to low.
Reserve 2 cups of the starchy cooking liquid from the pasta pot, drain the pasta, and add it to the pan with the sausage and vegetables. Add 1/2 of the reserved liquid and stir carefully over low heat, adding more of the liquid as necessary for the sauce (I gradually add all of it).
Top with chopped basil.
Serve immediately.
This is an ideal summer dish because it doesn’t require use of the oven and you can vary the ingredients depending on what’s at the market that week!
Happy Eating!
This recipe is part of a collaboration with Downingtown Farmers Market. I sourced all of the ingredients used in this recipe from the following vendors:
