Spaghetti with Sausage and Grape Tomato Ragu

The past two weeks have been an emotional ride for Bryan and I . Good news is we bought our first condominium! YEAH! The new place is bigger than our current apartment. It has a higher ceiling. The marble counter top in the kitchen looks absolutely beautiful. Most importantly, we are able to have a place that is truly ours. We are very excited and can’t wait to move in.

Unfortunately, that excitement was quickly disappeared as we discovered a water leak in the bathroom after closing. With a few peeks behind the wall, we noticed there is mold and rotten woods. It is very discouraging. The bathroom looks modern and perfect. We would never thought we have to remodel it, at least not today. Now, we would have to cut open the walls, clean up the mold, dry off the walls and woods, change all the rotten woods and do a new subfloor if needed. Many and many more… On a positive note, we are glad to discover this problem before we moved it. We are trying to be positive, but this is definitely stressful. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and nicely. Once everything is in place, I think we will be able to breathe again.

Other than the fix in the bathroom, Bryan and I will also be doing a few fixes on our own. Painting, sanding the kitchen cabinets etc. There will be many firsts for me. I look forwards to trying new things in the next few weeks. I can’t wait until everything is finished, so we can move in.

Fall is officially here. The wind is here and it is less hot. That does cheer me up a little (I love fall!). This pasta is the dish to start the fall. The sauce was cooked and reduced with red wine, bell pepper, plum tomatoes and some herbs. It was hearty and rich. Then, there were the fresh and sweet grape tomatoes. Their skin was soften while cooking in the sauce for a while, but they didn’t break apart. When you bite them, they just burst in your mouth with the sweet tomato juice. A great blend of freshness and heartiness will bring you warmth and comfort in this cooling weather. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Sausage and Grape Tomato Ragu (Adapted from Taste Food)

2 servings

Ingredients:

–   ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

–   1 sweet Italian sausage (removed casing and crumbled into small pieces)

–   1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

–   ½ red bell pepper (removed seeds and membranes, cut into ¼-inch dices)

–   2 garlic cloves (minced)

–   ½ teaspoon dried oregano

–   ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

–   ¼ cup red wine

–   8 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes (saved the juice)

–   1 tablespoon tomato paste

–   1 small bay leaf

–   1 teaspoon salt

–   1 teaspoon ground black pepper

–   ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

–   ½ pound spaghetti

–   Parmesan cheese

–   Salt

–   Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add sausage and cook until golden brown. Remove sausage and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Leave ½ tablespoon fat in the pan. If there isn’t enough fat, use olive oil.
2. Add cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, dried oregano, and chili flakes. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the wine and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the canned tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Add sugar. Taste and adjust.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and transfer to serving plates. Scoop ragout over the pasta and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. I love using mix colors grape tomatoes. It brings more colors to the dish.

Source: Read