2. Primi (pasta, risotto)

Mezzi Rigatoni with Escarole, Taggiasca Olives, and Sausage

A plate of rigatoni pasta topped with sautéed greens, ground meat, and grated cheese.

One of my favorite dishes from our recent wine study trip to Emilia-Romagna was the Mezzi rigatoni con scarola, olive taggiasche, e salsiccia we enjoyed at Osteria la Baita in Faenza. This is not necessarily a typical regional dish, as Taggiasca olives actually hail from Liguria. The combination of the slightly crunchy escarole with the salty olives and sweet sausage was excellent. The sausage is not actually sweetened, but it develops a wonderful sweetness in this combination. I wanted to recreate this at home because it was so delicious, and I am very happy with the result. Since I wanted to serve this as a full meal rather than a primo that would be followed by a secondo, I used a higher ratio of sausage and escarole to pasta than what is usual in Italy for a primo piatto. The dish is incredibly tasty and takes only about as long to prepare as it takes to boil the pasta. It is definitely joining my regular weekday repertoire.

An important feature of this dish is the Italian pork sausage. If you can’t find it at the store, it’s quite easy to make yourself if you have a meat grinder using this recipe. There is no need to put it into casings, as the first thing you do for this recipe is to take it out of its casing. It freezes very well, so I always make a large batch and freeze it in portions.

Ingredients

An assortment of ingredients for cooking displayed on a black countertop, including a package of ground meat, two bottles of wine, a bowl of pasta, a bowl of olives, a block of cheese, a container of salt, fresh lettuce, and two shallots.

Serves 2 as a full meal, or 3 to 4 if you increase the pasta

  • 300 grams Italian sausage meat, taken out of its casing
  • 400 grams escarole, washed and chopped
  • 2 shallots or 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 Tbsp Taggiasca olives, drained and roughly chopped
  • 200 grams mezzi rigatoni, or similar short pasta
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine
  • 30 grams freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, plus more for garnish
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Chopped romaine lettuce on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In the meantime, chop…

A stainless steel sink filled with chopped leafy greens, including lettuce and other salad vegetables, submerged in water.

…and wash 400 grams of escarole…

Close-up of a salad spinner filled with freshly washed and chopped green lettuce.

…dry it with a salad spinner, and chop 2 shallots.\

Chopped shallots sautéing in olive oil in a stainless steel skillet on a stovetop.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the shallots. Season with a bit of salt and stir the shallots over medium heat.

A pot of boiling water with uncooked rigatoni pasta being poured in from a spoon.

When the water boils, add salt and 200 grams of mezzi rigatoni, and set the timer for the time indicated on the package for al dente.

Pan frying ground meat with chopped onions and wooden spatulas in a stainless steel skillet.

Take 300 grams of sausage meat out of its casings and add it to the pan with the shallots. Increase the heat and stir with a wooden spatula, breaking up the meat.

Cooked ground meat mixed with finely chopped onions in a frying pan.

Keep stirring over medium-high heat until the sausage is golden brown.

A hand pouring liquid from a glass into a pan with cooked ground meat and onions on a stovetop.

then deglaze with 80 ml of dry white wine…

A skillet with browned ground meat and a wooden spoon, steaming on a stovetop.

…scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release all the fonds.

Chopped black olives on a wooden cutting board next to a chef's knife.

Chop 4 tablespoons of Taggiasca olives, roughly halving them, and add them to the pan.

Cooked ground meat mixed with sliced olives in a frying pan, with a wooden spoon resting on the side.

Turn off the heat. Grate 30 grams of parmigiano reggiano.

A close-up of a skillet filled with large, chopped romaine lettuce leaves, resting on a stovetop.

About 2–3 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the escarole to the pan and turn up the heat.

A skillet filled with sautéed green leafy vegetables mixed with browned ground meat, showcasing a vibrant, healthy dish.

Stir until the escarole has wilted, then lower the heat.

A skillet filled with pasta rigatoni mixed with sautéed greens and topped with grated cheese.

Drain the pasta when the timer beeps, reserving some of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan, together with the grated parmigiano.

A skillet filled with cooked rigatoni pasta mixed with chopped greens and ground meat, garnished with various vegetables.

Toss to mix, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to get a moist and creamy result.

A plate of rigatoni pasta topped with sautéed greens, minced meat, olives, and grated cheese.

Serve at once on preheated plates, drizzled with some good extra virgin olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper, and some more parmigiano.

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