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In order to keep things interesting and progressing, to keep the blood flowing and prevent stagnation in different parts of the body, life has to be somewhat shook up every so then.
I see life as a jug of unfiltered apple or orange juice: after a while, the pulp, which contains all the delicious fruit, will settle to the bottom if you don’t shake it, and the liquid on top will taste watered down and flat, never reaching its full flavor potential. If it tastes “OK” or “so-so,” it won’t be something to write home about.
Plus, when something is only “OK” or “so-so,” it’s easy to lose interest, right?
However, by consistently shaking that jug of delightful unfiltered juice, the sugary sediments will dissolve into the beautiful liquid, reviving every iced glass for an exceptionally rich and tasty taste.
In my mind, we live in a perpetually stagnant “juice jug” that, unless periodically shaken, can never hold the tantalizing flavors that life has the potential to offer. We’ll simply keep chugging the thin liquid at the top, and eventually we’ll start to notice that everything tastes kind of boring, but we won’t be able to put our finger on why.
What you need:
• Olive oil • 4 links of spicy Italian sausage, casings removed • 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced • 1 ½ teaspoons of salt • 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning • ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper • 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced • 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced • 4 cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press • ½ cup of white wine (I used Chardonnay) • 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice • 2 tablespoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley • ¼ cup of fresh basil leaves, julienned and divided
• 8 oz of uncooked pappardelle noodles
Setting Up:
To begin, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big braising pot or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the spicy Italian sausage for a few minutes on each side after crumbling it into small pieces (you want the sausage to remain fairly chunky);
After the crumbled sausage has browned, transfer it to a small bowl and set aside to cool for a little.
-Then, toss in the sliced onion with the sausage fat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the onion begins to caramelize and become brown, about 5 minutes. If needed, add a splash more olive oil to prevent burning.
-When the onion begins to turn golden, throw in the salt, Italian seasoning, and cracked black pepper; mix well. Next, toss in the sliced bell peppers and let them sauté for around 2 minutes with the onion, until they are somewhat softened and golden;
After the garlic starts to release its perfume, add the white wine and let it reduce for a few minutes, until it’s nearly fully evaporated;
-Then, return the browned spicy Italian sausage to the pan and mix in the diced tomatoes with their juice. Gently stir the ingredients to incorporate. Turn off the heat after simmering gently for 3–4 minutes to combine the flavors.
-To complete the sauce, add the chopped parsley and half of the julienned basil, whisk in the 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for a velvety, rich taste, and keep warm while you make the noodles.
-Follow the package directions to cook the pappardelle noodles. After they’re drained, add them to the sauce. Use tongs to gently toss the noodles and the sauce to combine. Taste the sauce to determine if it needs more salt or pepper.
-Equal parts of the “Drunken” noodles should be added to each dish before serving. Top with a sprinkling of the remaining julienned basil and, if preferred, shaved Parmesan and an additional drizzle of olive oil.
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