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It’s winter. It’s Cleveland. It’s time to make some stick to your ribs goodness in the kitchen. What could be better than some mushrooms and sausage in cream sauce? Well, there are things that might be better, but this is an inexpensive and hearty dish that the whole family (or friends) are sure to love. Well, unless you don’t eat meat. In that case, substitute leeks for the kielbasa. I made the leek version for a good friend of mine about a week ago- it was pretty darn good. Gotta support the vegetarian cause every now and again.
Okay- so why use Kielbasa over a beer brat or other type of sausage? Well, for me it was simple- the kielbasa was on special at Miles Farmers Market. Should have picked up more while I was there, but hindsight is often 20/20. No big deal. If there are regrets to be had in life, I don’t want mine to be about sausage. Anyhow, kielbasa is a favorite of mine. I like the type which is fresh, not smoked. If I was making a dish where I wanted the smoke flavor component, I might opt for the smoked sausage but certainly not for this dish. I think that the flavor would overpower the earthiness of the mushrooms and subtle sweetness from the cream. If you can’t find kielbasa, substitute fresh bratwurst. Save the Italian sausage for another day.
For the pasta, you can really choose just about anything. I had this long spiral pasta that has been hanging out in my pantry for way too much time that we used. If I had a fettuccine or linguine cut noodle, either would have worked great. For some reason a longer noodle is preferable to me for this dish. You could use a penne or rigatoni noodle if you were in a bind, but the idea just doesn’t sit well. Who knows, maybe I have a prejudice against short noodles today or something. Odd. Let’s get into this recipe-
Makes enough for 4 dinner sized servings
Ingredients for the Mushroom and Kielbasa Cream Sauce
1.5 lbs fresh kielbasa
16 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, cleaned and rough chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 red onion, diced
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups 1% or 2% milk
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
About 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
1 pound of pasta
Put on a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. When it starts boiling, add in some salt.
So, like I said, it’s winter here in Cleveland. I’ve been suffering from cold after cold, so I have opted for a grill pan rather than standing outside over my actual grill. You choose however you would like to cook the sausage and I’ll explain how it happened at my house. First thing is first, turn the oven onto 400 degrees. Take the sausage out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes. Heat up an oven-proof grill pan and add in a little bit of canola or vegetable oil. When the pan is hot but not smoking hot, add in the sausage. As I have said before, you’ve gotta pay attention to what is happening to the meat while it is cooking. If the oil is crackling all over the place and the meat is smoking, your heat is too high. If your pan isn’t partying at all, the heat is too low. Right in the middle is the sweet spot. After the sausage has cooked for about 6-7 minutes, flip it in the pan with tongs and toss the whole shootin match into the oven. Cook in the oven for another 6-7 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through. When it is done, remove the pan from the oven and set the sausage on a cutting board to rest for a while.
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Cooking the sausage in the oven releases a lot of steam but it definitely looks good enough to eat. Photo by Scott Groth
Now is a great time to start your pasta cooking. Add to the water and cook according to the directions on the box. If using fresh pasta, now is not the time to cook it. For fresh pasta, cook after everything else is done otherwise it will turn gummy and stick together. Nobody wants gummy pasta.
While the sausage is cooking, I started to cook down the onions in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. First, melt the butter in the pan and add just a touch of oil. Toss in the onion and shallots. Cook for about four minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Browning is cool, burning is not. Add in the mushrooms. Cook for another six to seven minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Garlic burns quickly and becomes bitter- so be careful.
Okay- so things are hot and looking good. Add in the cream. It will bubble, so make sure you are stirring. Add in about 1/2 of the milk. Reduce the temperature to medium-low. See how the sauce thickens up? Let the sauce reduce a little before adding in any more milk. Okay-
the sausage should be fully rested by now. Cut it into coins, reserving about 3 coins per dish. Toss the rest of the sausage into the sauce. Add in more milk and stir. You should have a thick, creamy sauce. Taste and adjust your salt and pepper. Taste again- when the salt level is correct, add in the lemon juice. Taste again- should taste better, right? If not, add in a touch more lemon juice- it will brighten things up.
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This sauce still needs to reduce a little, but it is thickening up. Mmm... mushrooms. Photo by Scott Groth
Once the pasta is done, you have a choice on how you would like to serve it. The first option is to plate the pasta and spoon the sauce over the top. The second choice is to toss the pasta and the sauce together and then plate them. I find that with big chunks (like the sausage) it makes it difficult to toss the pasta and sauce together and have fair servings for everyone. Usually the last person gets the big daddy sausage portion. Around my house, that’s bush league. I plate the pasta and serve the sauce piping hot right on top. Then I throw the remaining sausage coins on the top, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Pair this one up with a cold brew or just about any bold wine- this dish will stand up against most beverage choices. Like with all my recipes, regardless of how you do it- I hope more than anything you enjoy it.
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Pair this dish up with some fruit forward wine or a cold brew. Then dig in and enjoy! Photo by Scott Groth