Entertaining a Crowd

I don't know about you, but this time of year, for my family, can be so very busy.  Between the multiple, extra curricular activities my kids have, church commitments, and general every day life, the holidays can be stressful.  Add in the company you may have visiting over the next few weeks, and there you have it, barely contained chaos. 

So, where does this recipe come in?  Well, I find that having a few well thought out recipes in your back pocket can be very helpful this time of year.  And pantry staples like pasta can go a long way with feeding big groups people.  And, since many of you have company that come to visit for more than just Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, it's nice to have something special you can make for the other days your visitors are with you.  Hence this recipe...

Penne Rustica

Ingredients:
1lb penne pasta
4 slices of thin proscuitto cut into long ribbons
1 turkey sausage link, diced into bite size pieces (I had garlic spinach)
15-20 medium shrimp, raw, tails off
1/2 cup of white wine
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 finely chopped, one whole for garnish
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
salt
olive oil


Directions:
I love using a cast iron skillet for this because you can put it directly in the oven and don't need to transfer stuff to a baking dish, but if you don't have one, you can absolutely use a baking dish. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Heat your skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil.

Heat your water for the pasta and follow the cooking directions for making the penne al dente, about 7 minutes.

While preparing the pasta, put the shrimp in the skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until they just start to turn pink, then remove with a slotted spoon and place aside in a bowl. I know, they are not done yet, but this dish finishes in the oven and you don't want the shrimp to become rubbery so you don't want to cook them through yet.

Add the garlic to the skillet. When it begins to turn golden, add the sausage, proscuitto, peppers and rosemary. Add the wine and reduce by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cream and the cayenne pepper. When cream begins to simmer add the parmesan, and stir until melted and sauce begins to thicken, then turn off heat. Taste the sauce and see if any salt is needed. (You may not need any since the parm & proscuitto is pretty salty.)

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and then gently stir on the shrimp.  Put the skillet in the oven and let the pasta brown up on top, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and garnish with a little fresh rosemary.

Enjoy!