spaghetti with sweet sausage sauce

tonight, on a whim, i prepared myself a surprisingly sweet and satisfying two-course dinner. and the best part about it was that i refused to marry myself to the specifics of recipes. now, this is the overwhelming quality of my cooking and the main reason why i could never successfully foray into pastry making. precise measurements of ingredients elude me. i much prefer eyeballing the inclusion of every item, plus a dash or two here of whatever other flavors i like.



after a trip to the grocery store for a bit of fresh produce, i decided to make a version of one of my, favorite salads. instead of radishes, however, i included a wedged heirloom tomato tossed with chopped basil, olive oil, a dash of sherry vinegar, and salt + pepper.



having also just acquired some sweet italian sausage, i recalled a recipe i had once seen on the jewels of new york that i fancied. although this recipe seemed easy enough, as i said, i wasn't in the mood to follow any specifics. instead, i adhered to the inclusion of a few key ingredients and combined them as i pleased. so i sauteed 1 1/2 sausages removed from their casings in olive oil. once they were cooked through, i added about 5 spoonfuls of my frozen tomato sauce, then poured in a dash of balsamic vinegar, a bit of merlot, and a sprig of chopped rosemary. i let this simmer for about 10 minutes while my spaghetti cooked. once the spaghetti was ready, i combined it with the sauce (avoiding using the reserved cooking liquid because i like my pasta sauce thick and clingy), and then topped my dish with grated parmesan cheese. i was completely surprised by how delicious this dish was, and how easy to make! it was sweet, meaty, and thick. and i didn't even have to add any additional seasoning! this dish is going to be one of my new favorites.

if you're up for a cooking adventure, then i suggest trying my whimsical cooking technique and make this pasta. be creative in your kitchen! free yourself from your cookbook!