Brooklyn New-Wave Cavatelli with Sausage & Browned Sage Butter
Chapter 3 — The Pastas
Sunday at 10 a.m., the Dutch oven claims the back burner, fennel sausage rendering into thick fat, starting a dish that proves Italian-American food is a magnificent cuisine of its own. Representing the Brooklyn red-sauce joint, it marries the chew of Southern Italian cavatelli and spicy pork with Northern browned butter and sage, simmering through the morning, built to feed a loud houseful of people, arriving at the table swimming in a golden emulsion. Grab a box grater, open the Chianti, and let the stove do the rest.
Before you start
The sausage poach can be done ahead of time.
Hosting a Sunday dinner can be chaotic; you can simmer and slice the sausage up to a day in advance and keep the coins in the fridge until your guests arrive.
Ingredients
- hot Italian pork sausage links1 lb
- ricotta cavatelli1 lb
- unsalted butter7 tbsp
- fresh sage leaves12 large
- white pepper1/2 tsp
- Pecorino Romano1 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup
- kosher saltto taste
Method
- 01
Poach the sausages to ensure they remain plump and sliceable.
Place the whole sausage links in a wide Dutch oven, add a half-inch of water, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Flip and simmer for 5 more minutes, then remove them to a board to slice into half-inch coins.
- 02
Hard sear the sausage coins to build the foundational crust.
Wipe out the Dutch oven, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat, and arrange the sausage coins in a single layer. Step away and let them sit completely untouched until a deep, dark brown crust forms on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes, before flipping to sear the other side. Remove to a plate.
- 03
Brown the butter to the perfect nutty beurre noisette stage.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter with the fresh sage and white pepper, scraping up the caramelized sausage fond. Watch closely as the foaming subsides and the milk solids toast into an incredibly nutty, deep golden brown.
- 04
Boil the cavatelli and emulsify the sauce.
Drop the pasta into a large pot of heavily salted boiling water and cook until just al dente. Do not drain it in the sink; use a spider to scoop the noodles directly into the bubbling brown butter, letting the starchy pasta water instantly emulsify with the fat into a creamy, luxurious coat.
- 05
Finish with the cheese and parsley to serve immediately.
Toss the pasta aggressively, fold the seared sausage coins back in, and pull the pan off the heat. Shower in the freshly grated Pecorino Romano, tossing until melted and thick, then scatter the parsley over the top and carry the heavy Dutch oven straight to the table.
Notes
Do not substitute dried sage.
Dried sage is a completely different ingredient that cannot fry in the butter and will ruin the texture of the dish.
Grate the cheese yourself.
Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that will turn your beautiful brown butter emulsion into a gritty, broken mess. Use the fine side of a standard box grater.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.