The Glorious Pasta of Italy by Domenica Marchetti

I know. Another book about pasta. Well, despite the fact that I have at least four pasta cookbooks and a dozen italian cookbooks, I am feeling pretty strongly that I need to add this to my collection. Marchetti hits a pitch perfect note for me with this book. There is a modern approach to making fresh pasta--the recipes all contain food processor friendly instructions. The author acknowledges that fresh pasta is not an option every night--she uses purchased pastas on week nights, and the recipes for those occasions are separate from the recipes for fresh pasta. The range of recipes is wonderful, and I especially like the sections on stuffed pastas and baked pastas, because those are not as common as I would like. Finally, there are sumptuous pictures that abound. The balance between presentation, effort, and flavor is especially wonderful.

Fettuccine with Sausage, Mascarpone, and Sottocenere al Tartufo
Note: From Marchetti: "Who says you can't have luxury on a Monday night? Sottocenere al tartufo, a semisoft cow's milk cheese flecked with shavings of black truffle, dresses up a classic cream sauce, infusing it with truffle aroma and flavor. If you are unable to find sottocenere, substitute Fontina Val d'Aosta and, if you like, a drop or two of truffle oil."
Makes: 4 servings

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 sweet Italian sausages, 8 ounces or 225 grams total weight
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
Kosher or fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried fettuccine
3 ounces sottocenere al tartufo cheese (or fontina with a touch of truffle oil)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously.

2. While the water is heating, put the butter in a large frying pan placed over medium heat. Remove the sausages from their casings and pick them apart over the frying pan, allowing the chunks of sausage to drop directly into the pan. Sauté, using a spatula to break up the large pieces of sausage, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until no trace of pink remains and the meat is cooked through. The sausage should still be moist and only very lightly browned.

3. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine. Let it bubble for about a minute, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream and then the mascarpone. Continue to stir until the mascarpone is melted. Taste the sauce and add a little salt if necessary. This will depend on how salty the sausages are. Add a generous grind of pepper. Cover and keep the sauce over very low heat while you cook the fettuccine.

4. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir to separate the noodles, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until not quite al dente; it should be slightly underdone. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.

5. Pour a little of the cooking water into the cream sauce to thin it out a bit, and then add the cooked pasta to the frying pan over low heat. Gently toss the pasta and sauce to combine thoroughly. Sprinkle the sottocenere al tartufo and half of the Parmigiano over the sauced pasta and toss again, making sure the cheeses melt into the sauce and are well incorporated and the pasta is al dente. Add a splash more water if necessary to thin out the sauce. Transfer the dressed pasta to warmed shallow individual bowls and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.