Chef Auntie Teri's Pasta

My Auntie Teri is here visiting me from Seattle this week and she happens to be a chef, so today I am featuring one of her favorite recipes!  
Auntie Teri works for a conference center and camp in the mountains just outside of Seattle.  She has four cats that she loves very much and a very nice husband named Timmy.  On an average week she prepares 24 meals for an average of 40 people.  The meals she serves are always homemade from fresh ingredients and locally produced food whenever possible.  Her advice for the home cook is to keep it simple, and if it takes longer than 30 minutes from prep to the table for the average weeknight meal, it's not worth it.  Also, always use real, whole foods when cooking.  
Tonight Auntie Teri prepared her yummy pasta dish for Boonie, David, and I and OH BOY was it YUMMY!


Chef Auntie Teri's Pasta

• 1 package pasta - any shape you like, we used Farfalle
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb bulk italian sausage
• 1/2 cup marsala or white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups of frozen or fresh peas
• 1/4 cup loosely packed italian flatleaf parsley, chopped and fresh basil also as an option
• 1 tbsp. herbes de provence
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• parmesan cheese for serving if desired

Cook the pasta and drain according to package directions and set aside.  Heat the oil and butter in the pan together over medium high heat, then add the sausage, onion, garlic, herbes de provence and cook until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up as needed, approximately ten minutes.  Drain if necessary.  Deglaze (add the wine and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan) with the wine and let bubble over medium heat until reduced by half.  Add the cream and heat through then add the spinach and cook until wilted.  Add the peas and heat until the peas are heated through then add the nutmeg and stir to combine.  Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.  Sprinkle with parmesan and serve with a tossed green salad if desired.  YUMMY NUMMY!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!