Recipe: Linguine with Italian Sausage and Spinach in a Red Clam Sauce

Linguine with Italian Sausage and Spinach in a Red Clam Sauce
rec.food.cooking/Ninette R. Enrique/1995
Serves 2-4

The ingredients in this dish are all pantry staples except for the freezer stuff: Italian sausage, parsley (I freeze parsley, so I always have it), and frozen chopped spinach. Besides the proportions of liquid from the clam juice, clams, and tomato paste, everything else is variable (it doesn't make that much difference). I will put the approximations of what I used next to the variables in parentheses for those who need it. Easy, easy, easy.

This is excellent and great for a dinner party. It even has veggies in it, for goodness sake! Enjoy.

Italian sausage (1/2-3/4 pound)
olive oil (1 tbsp.)
onion, chopped (1 medium onion)
garlic, minced (3 cloves)
wine (1/2-3/4 cup)

1 small can tomato paste
2 6.5 oz. cans of clams (chopped or minced)
1 bottle clam juice

fresh parsley, chopped (1/4 cup)
frozen spinach, defrosted (1/3-1/2 cup)

3/4 pound of linguine (3/4 of the box)
Salt and pepper
Butter
Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Remove Italian sausage from casing and cook in skillet (no smaller than 10-inch) over medium high heat til done. Break up the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks. Drain crumbled sausage and most of fat onto a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Place pan back on the burner and add enough olive oil to saute the onions and garlic. When oil has heated, add onions first and then garlic. Saute, turning heat down to medium if necessary, until onions are transparent. Put your pasta water on to boil while the onions are sauteing.

Add wine to onions and let reduce until almost gone. Add clam juice and juice from the chopped clams (I usually add the clams later so they don't get tough, but you can add them here if you want). Add cooked sausage and bring mixture to a simmer and let simmer uncovered until it reduces to the thickness you would like.

Meanwhile, when the pasta water reaches a boil, add a bunch of salt and your pasta. Cook until al dente. As your pasta is cooking, your sauce should be reducing nicely. Add reserved clams at this point to the sauce. If you're like me, you'll also stick your serving dish in the oven on warm at this point, so it'll keep the pasta nice and hot.

When the pasta is done, drain the pasta in a colander in the sink, giving the colander a few good shakes. DO NOT RINSE. Transfer the pasta to a (warm) serving dish and immediately add a tbs. of butter, some freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Toss. Add to the pasta then a little of the sauce, just enough to coat the pasta so it doesn't stick. Set in a warm oven or set aside.

To finish your sauce, add the parsley and squeezed spinach. Stir to heat through. Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper if you need it. Pour over the pasta and serve immediately.