Serves 6.
Adapted from "Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way" by Oretta Zanini de Vita and Maureen Fant (W.W. Norton, 2013, $35)
• 3 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 cauliflower (about 3 lb.), trimmed and cut into florets, or the same amount of broccoli or broccoli rabe
• 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small piece spicy dried chile or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 7 oz. finely ground unseasoned bulk sausage
• 1/2 c. dry, full-bodied red wine
• 1 lb. orecchiette, fusilli or penne
• Grated pecorino cheese
Directions:
Bring 5 quarts water to boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Add salt, then vegetables, and boil until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve cooking water in the pot for boiling the pasta later. (I used cauliflower, but roasted it with a little olive oil in a 450-degree oven for 30 minutes instead of boiling it.)
Put oil, garlic and piece of chile (but not pepper flakes) in a large, deep skillet that will hold all the pasta later. Sauté for a few minutes, just until garlic is golden and chile has darkened, then discard garlic and chile. Crumble sausage meat into skillet. Brown evenly, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Raise heat and add wine. Let it bubble until smell of alcohol has disappeared, about 2 minutes. Stir often to keep meat from sticking. (The sausage will look purple from the wine, but not to worry.) Add cooked vegetables and mix well. If you are using pepper flakes instead of a single piece of chile, add them now.
Bring vegetable water back to boil and cook pasta until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, reheat vegetables and sausage over low heat. After pasta is half done, add a little of its cooking water to sauce and let it absorb.
When pasta is al dente, transfer it, dripping wet, with a handheld colander or spider strainer to skillet. Mix well over low heat for just half a minute.
Mix in cheese and serve immediately, either from skillet or in a warmed serving bowl.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories536Fat20 gSodium800 mg
Carbohydrates70 gSaturated fat4 gCalcium40 mg
Protein17 gCholesterol13 mgDietary fiber6 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 4 bread/starch, ½ high-fat meat, 3 fat.
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