Pasta ala Norcina from America's Test Kitchen

I’m a fan of America’s Test Kitchen on PBS.  Any recipe from their site that I’ve cooked has turned out beautifully.  The great thing is they do all the testing and tweaking so all I have to do is follow the recipe.  At least the first time.

A recipe for sausage and pasta recently aired.  I limit pasta in my diet these days, but every once in a while I’ll indulge.  And this recipe looked so good I made a mental note to cook if for Terry, being certain he’d love it.

Then a friend who’d suffered a serious illness was released from the hospital, and here was my opportunity to give this a try.   I doubled the recipe, filled a large casserole for my friend, then one for Terry, and had enough left just for me, me, me.  And it is superb!

Four fork review from all who were treated to this dish. It's not real pretty but the rosemary spiced sausage makes me forget that.

Serves 6

White mushrooms may be substituted for the cremini, and short pasta such as mezzi rigatoni or shells for the orecchiette.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
• 7 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound orecchiette
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1.     1. Grease large dinner plate with vegetable oil spray. Dissolve 1⅛ teaspoons salt and baking soda in 4 teaspoons water in medium bowl. Add pork and fold gently to combine; let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Add 1 teaspoon garlic, 3/4 teaspoon rosemary, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to pork and smear with rubber spatula until well combined and tacky, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to greased plate and form into rough 6-inch patty. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add patty and cook without moving it until bottom is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip patty and continue to cook until second side is well browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer (very center of patty will be raw). Remove pan from heat, transfer sausage to cutting board, and chop into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer sausage to bowl and add cream; set aside.

4. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

5. While pasta cooks, return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, mushrooms, and ⅛ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons oil, remaining garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sausage-cream mixture and ¾ cup reserved cooking water and simmer until meat is no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Pecorino until smooth.

6. Add sauce, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss well to coat. Before serving, adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Technique

Don't Get Stuck

Orecchiette is prone to nest and stick. To keep the pieces separate, just stir—often.

Technique

How to Make Juicy, Flavorful Sausage

Store-bought Italian sausage didn’t have the right flavors for the dish, so we made our own. Our unusual (but easy) approach produces meat that browns thoroughly on the outside and also stays tender and juicy within.
BRINE GROUND PORK
Brine in salt water to dissolve the pork’s proteins and help the meat retain moisture. Add baking soda to further increase the meat’s ability to hold water.
WORK IN SEASONINGS
After brining, use a rubber spatula to smear herbs and spices into the pork—a method that makes it springy.

BROWN ONE LARGE PATTY
Pat the pork into a 6-inch “burger” that can withstand a hard sear. Later, chop it and finish cooking the meat in the sauce.

Technique

Smear Tactics Create Snap

Working the seasonings into the sausage with a spatula doesn’t just distribute their flavor thoroughly; this mixing method also creates a snappy sausage texture. By “smearing” the mixture, we’re forcing the meat’s proteins to stretch out and link up together forming a strong network. This network, which makes the pork appear thick and sticky, creates tension in the sausage that breaks when you bite into it—hence the snap.