Cooking Challenge 2010 - Linguine with Sausage and Cabbage

Linguine with Sausage and Cabbage
From Shape Magazine
Serves 4

2 chicken sausages (about 5 ounces total)
1 small red onion
1 4 ounce wedge of savoy cabbage (light green with crinkly leaves, milder flavor than green or red cabbage)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces of linguine

Bring a large covered pot of water to boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer covered until ready to cook pasta. Meanwhile, cut sausage into 1/4 inch thick diagonal slices, slice onion to make 1/2 cup, and shred cabbage to make 3 cups. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and cornstarch.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add sausage, reduce heat to medium, and cook 1 minute. Turn sausage and cook another minute. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, onion and cabbage and saute 1 minute. Add broth and 1/4 cup of cold water; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in cornstarch mixture and pepper. Cook, stirring until liquid is a little glossy, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

Return pasta water to a boil over high heat. Add linguine and cook uncovered according to package directions -- about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander. Add drained pasta to sausage and sauce in skillet and toss gently to combine. Divide among four plates and serve immediately.

Here's the finished dish:

So, some thoughts.

• I need more cabbage. I used 1/4 of a head of savoy cabbage because I didn't want to have a ton of cabbage. I should have used more. And I think I overcooked it a little bit. It was my first time cooking cabbage ever, but the ones in the picture in the magazine looked super green. Mine? Not so much.
• I used chicken sausage with rosemary. Very nice flavor. But I should have browned it a little more. I was trying to follow the recipe exactly though (well, sort of). Next time, I know to cook the sausage until it's brown like I like it.
  
• Fresh pasta is the jumpoff. It's like ramen, but better. And the best kind of pasta ever created. I think it's going to be my new thing. Right after I finish cooking all of this boxed pasta I have.
• The other plus about this dish: it apparently supplies half of my daily folate needs!
  

Overall, I really liked this dish. I didn't eat all of it because I put way too much pasta in it and I wanted more cabbage. But I will definitely make this again in the future. Shoot, I might give it another shot this week. I've got leftover pasta, onion and cabbage. And I think I've got some chicken sausage in the fridge!

Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)