Penne with Walnuts & Italian Sausage
Chef Chris Crary
1 Kitchen
West Hollywood, Calif.
At 1 Kitchen in West Hollywood, Chef Chris Crary combines whole wheat penne with crunchy walnut pieces, spicy Italian sausage and carrots for a contrast in tastes, textures and colors. This rustic pasta dish is finished with a crisp topping of lemony panko bread crumbs mixed with finely chopped walnuts.
Ingredients
Pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
4 oz. walnuts, quartered
1 spring onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
8 oz. whole wheat penne
4 qt. boiling, salted water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Walnut panko topping
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
Salt, to taste
Steps
1. For pasta, in large saute pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add sausage, breaking up pieces and stirring 5 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
2. Stir in walnuts, onion, carrots and garlic; cook 3 minutes longer. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and cook until reduced by half.
3. Meanwhile, cook the penne in boiling, salted water for 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked about three-quarters of the way through. Drain penne and add to sausage mixture in saute pan. Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes longer.
4. For walnut panko topping, heat butter and olive oil in a separate saute pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and walnuts; saute, stirring constantly for 4 minutes until breadcrumbs turn a golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest.
5. To serve, top pasta with breadcrumb mixture.
Photo courtesy of California Walnuts