Fettuccine With Sausage And Fried Sage Leaves

Recipe from The New York Times

1 pound fettuccine
4 hot Italian sausages (I recommend substituting with vegetarian sausages) 
About 24 sage leaves
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
About 1 cup heavy cream
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan

Bring four quarts of water to a boil for the fettuccine. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, simmer the sausages in water to cover for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool.

Fry the sage leaves in the olive oil in a skillet until they are crisp. Drain them on paper towels, leaving the oil in the skillet.

Chop the sausages in chunks and saute them in the oil until the pieces are browned, adding the garlic toward the end so that it gets golden but not burned. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, cook fettuccine until al dente.

Pour off the fat from the skillet and add the cream. Bring it to a boil, scrape up cooking juices and return the sausage to heat through. Correct seasoning.

Drain the pasta and put it in a heated serving bowl. Pour the sauce on top. Toss and sprinkle with sage leaves. Serve with Parmesan passed separately at the table.

YIELD: 4 servings