A trip to Arthur Avenue netted parmesan, prosciutto, EVOO, semolina, and a few pounds of the recently named "Best Italian Sausage in NYC." Since it's still in the 20s here, and we'd been to Teitel Bros., dinner was self-evident: some kind of pasta with sausage...
So... I sautéed a chopped onion, added about 20 chopped Kalamata olives...
(The ones with pits are really better, and pitting them is simple... just use a meat pounder or the side of a heavy chef's knife to whack the olives like a garlic clove... and the pit comes out easily)...
And added the sausage (removed from the casing and crumbled)...
When the sausage was cooked, I added some stock, a few red pepper flakes, and a splash of red wine... and continued to simmer on low. As the pasta was cooking, I added some cream to the sauce.
I took the pasta out about 2 minutes early and added it to the sauce, adding pasta water whenever it looked too dry. When the pasta was just right, I cut the heat and added Parmesan.
We lit a fire and, just as we sat down, a picture-perfect snow began.
Sometimes life is just perfect!