My First Ragu

I have never been a huge fan of red sauce on my pasta. I am not sure why, I mean I love tomatoes. When I was younger, I would ask my mom to just put a little sauce on, enough to make it pink. As I got older, I started putting olive oil and garlic salt on my pasta. I know it sounds like the grossest thing ever put it tastes so good. BPII is not this biggest fan because well you know what happens with garlic. Anyway, I saw this recipe from bitten.com about a quick ragu. I thought that would be a great way to spice up a bla weeknight pasta. It turned out really yummy, even though I do not like red sauce. The recipe calls for milk but instead I used 1 part heavy cream and 1 part water.

One day soon though, I want to make a real ragu that you have to simmer on the stove for hours. That sounds like a Sunday project.

Ingredients


1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound Italian sausage, removed from casing if necessary
1 cup milk
1/4 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper
1 pound pasta
At least 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup white wine

Directions

Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Put the oil in a 10-inch skillet, and turn the heat to medium; a minute later, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage in bits, and turn the heat to medium high; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add a cup of white wine to deglaze the pan. Reduce until wine has evaporated.

Add milk and tomato paste, along with some salt and pepper; stir to blend, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened but not dry. Keep it warm if necessary, and if it becomes too thick, add a little more milk or water.

Meanwhile, salt the water and cook the pasta. When pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it. Toss with sauce and Parmesan; taste, adjust seasoning and serve.