Full disclosure: My dad was trained as a chef, so I’ve had a definite advantage in the learning to cook department. He’s my go-to resource when a dish doesn’t turn out correctly. But my mom, Anita, is also an exceptional cook, though she might not get as much recognition as Papa does. This past weekend I visited my parents for an evening and, in a total moment of “let’s just clean out the fridge and see what we can throw together for dinner,” Mama and I co-conceived a really, really delicious meal. And this is Mama’s strength - taking whatever we have on hand and making it not just edible, but delectable.

This is one of Mama’s signature dishes. I’ve eaten a dozen versions that she’s prepared (and prepared about that many versions myself). It’s easily adaptable to a crowd, so I’ve often prepared it when I’m cooking for a group of people. I’ve also, however, made it for just two people.

It hardly seems a fitting tribute to my mother to provide you with concrete instructions for making one of her favorite weeknight meals because she doesn’t often use a recipe, and she excels that way. I want to stress that the measurements and ingredients I’m providing you with are just those that I used to cook this dish on Sunday evening. They are flexible, and I encourage you to experiment, because penne all’Anita is more of a concept than a hard-and-fast recipe. It’s a rough blueprint of a meal easily adapted to fit many occasions and moods. At the end of this recipe, I’ll offer a few suggestions for possible substitutions that I’ve used in the past, and that you could use to make this dish better fit your taste, or just to better coincide with the contents of your fridge.

This particular rendition of penne all’Anita was especially exciting for me because I used Italian sausage produced locally and organically, which I bought at a farmer’s market. It tasted so unbelievably delicious and renewed my faith in the value of buying local and organic products from small, family-run farms. If you haven’t checked out your local farmer’s market, you need to! Local Harvest has a great search function to locate your nearest farmer’s market, if you don’t already know where it is or when it happens. Anita supports her local farmer’s market, and so should you!

I love you, Mama!

Penne all’Anita

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound penne
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped or torn
• 1 small handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped or torn
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (reserve half for sprinkling tableside)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until it is brown, using a wooden spoon to break it apart. Meanwhile, cook penne according to package directions. When the pasta is cooled to your taste, set aside pasta water before draining.

When the sausage is brown, add the shallots and tomatoes. When the shallots are translucent, add the garlic and reduce heat to low. Cook just long enough for the garlic to soften and for its flavor to be released into the oil, but as always, do not let it brown!

Return drained pasta to pot. Add sausage mixture to pasta and stir to combine. Add the spinach and basil and stir as it wilts. Finally, add half the parmesan (the other half can be sprinkled for presentation) and the pasta water and stir until the cheese is evenly distributed. Serves 4. 

SUBSTITUTION SUGGESTIONS:

• Replace spinach with arugula or mixed baby greens.
• Replace large tomatoes with cherry tomatoes. Add them instead after the garlic and cook them without stirring until they burst.
• Use sweet or spicy Italian sausage, or chorizo if you’re feeling really adventurous.
• Replace the shallot with red or white onions (but use half as many since they’re much larger than shallots).
• Instead of parmesan cheese, try asiago or pecorino romano.