The dog days of summer seem to have arrived a bit early this year. It is hot and humid and the occasional showers make it all the more hot and humid. Being out in this kind of weather no longer thrills me. At times I find myself “Summer Hibernating.” Sometimes that means that I won’t leave the house, even for groceries, and that means that I have to delve into my freezer, fridge, and pantry to make dinner. Here’s what happened a few nights ago.
First stop was the freezer. It was time to get all those bags of vegetable scraps out of the cold and into the pot to make some vegetable stock. Click on this link to learn what that’s all about. I also found two links of Turkey Italian Sausage while I was rearranging things. Pasta came to mind because I knew it would make Papa D’s heart sing to dig into a bowl of pasta no matter what it was mixed with. I decided to use my soon to be wonderful vegetable stock for the base of a lighter sauce, it being summer and all. Now I needed to round out the flavors.
In the pantry I found a started bag of fancy fettuccini, more than enough for two. I also came
upon a jar of Artichoke Salad. I bought it on a whim one day and knew that I could use it for something eventually. If you haven’t seen this before; it is marinated artichoke hearts with roasted red peppers, olives, and some fairly decent seasonings. Quick sauce in a jar. Of course I couldn’t just leave it at that. Onions and garlic had to come along, and I added a few more marinated artichokes (also in the pantry) to fill in the spaces a bit.
A thorough search of the fridge turned up two grilled chicken thighs topped with pesto and a small container of mozzarella pearls and of course my trusty wedge of Pecorino Romano. I looked at them and thought…Why not? Let the creative process begin!
I used some of the marinade to saute the sausage and once it was cooked, I added the onions and garlic and let everything get acquainted for a few minutes. I drained the artichoke salad well and added it to the pan. Around the same time I sliced up the chicken thighs and added them in as well. Once everything was getting some color, I added about a cup of vegetable stock. 
The mozzarella pearls went in next. This required a lot of stirring but they finally kind of melted leaving just a few intriguing stringy ribbons that I think added some texture and interest to the sauce (sticking to that story).
While all of this was happening in the skillet, the pasta was boiling up to al fente perfection in a pot nearby. Finally the kitchen planets aligned and it was time to put everything together. A few more minutes and it was show time.
This qualifies as a “Non-Recipe, Recipe” that will most likely never be exactly the same each time it is prepared, it all depends on what’s “On Hand.” Here are a few guidelines based on how I did it this time:
- I used about 8 ounces of pasta which was enough for two servings with a lunch portion left over. I used fettuccini but it would be just as good with a cut pasta…maybe better.
- I used a 12 ounce jar of Artichoke Salad and maybe a quarter of a jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts. Everything was drained well and I did use about 1 tablespoon of the marinade to get things going in the skillet.
- I removed the casings from the sausages and browned it in the skillet. I used cooked chicken, but you could use more sausage or all chicken or something else.
- Onions and garlic were added because this is Mama D’s Kitchen after all. Add any other veggies you would like. Mushrooms and/or zucchini would be good.
- Use vegetable or chicken stock as you wish. About a cup is enough. You will also want to add a good ladle of the water from the pot before you drain the pasta.
- Cheese is up to the cook. I used Mozz, but it wasn’t easy. Provolone, Asiago, or Fontina would work or just go with a generous grating of the Romano.
- Serve it up and enjoy.
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