Pasta with broccoli, sausage, olive oil and chili flakes is a family favorite that I tend to make when cooler weather arrives, which has suddenly happened in Paris after a couple of warm months passed in a flash . Yesterday we had a hailstorm and overnight the temperature dropped to 6º C (43º F). It’s enough to make you reach for a warm comforter and a hearty bottle of red wine, which pairs well with this spicy, garlic-infused dish.
Fusilli with broccoli and sausages / Pasta with broccoli and sausage
The preparation is very simple. You cut and fry the sausage, cut the broccoli into florets, boil the pasta, adding the broccoli towards the end, draining it and seasoning it with a sauce of olive oil, garlic and crushed cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes . Top with freshly grated parmesan — and here it is. A one-dish meal in 20 minutes or less.
The recipe can be made with any type of pasta. This time I chose fusilli because the sauce adheres well to the small spirals. Sometimes I prepare it with spaghetti or striped shells. Since Italian sausage is not so easy to find in Paris, I generally use a similar French variety called Toulouse sausage. What’s missing is Italian spiciness, but you can make it yourself by combining sausage meat with fennel seeds and herbs.
To make the meal even more special, a delicious Italian-style appetizer in autumn could be country ham with fresh figs. Another possibility is ‘Ambassador Salad‘, a salad with bresaola and late summer fruit (which took its name from the person who gave me the recipe, the former French ambassador to Poland!). Vegetarian appetizers that go well include burrata with mixed salad and hazelnuts, roasted aubergine salad and salad with garlic and croutons. And by the way, a vegetarian version of this dish is simple: just omit the sausage.
If you serve this pasta to guests and would like to add a dessert, I recommend tiramisu, which is not only popular but also fun to prepare. Or you could serve a fresh fig tart, a walnut tart or, why not? – a classic French apple tart. Any of these options would make a great ending to a comforting meal as, after the joys of summer, we head into a cooler, darker season…
Good cooking.
