Campsite Italian Sausage & Black Kale Casarecce
There's still a couple months of great camping weather so we've chosen a dish that pairs well with enamel plates and a fire – but the steps to cooking are the same if your summer plans are closer to home. We've chosen Casarecce for our pasta noodle because of its hearty bite and ability to lock sauce in it's folds.
Ingredients
20mL canola oil
3 cloves garlic, fine chopped
1 Spicy Italian Sausage
8-10 cherry tomatoes
1/2 Yellow Onion
200mL white wine
2-3 large leaves of black Kale
60g Oyster mushrooms (or any wild mushroom), rough chopped
50g fresh grated pecorino romano or grana padano
Get that camping stove fired up! Or, cook this hearty dish at home in a heavy pan. This dish is all about building flavours up in the pan, starting with your spicy Italian Sausage (we used Esposito Sausage from Empire Provisions, but Spolumbo's would also be a great option). You'll also want boiling water ready to go.
First, heat your pan with a small amount of cooking oil. You should get some sizzle right off the bat when you add your sausage. Slice your sausage lengthwise so that the casing opens up, and you can add it to your pan loose. If some of the casing still remains attached to the sausage don't worry – it will render into the sauce. Add your onion and oyster mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat - season with salt.
Once the sausage has started to brown or even char, add your garlic and tomatoes. Garlic burns pretty quick so keep the wine ready. After your garlic has simmered for 10 seconds or so, add your wine and stir your ingredients to get all the flavour from the bottom of the pan. Turn down the heat to a low-medium and allow the moisture from the tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms to cook out without allowing the pan to dry.
At this point you should start cooking your casarecce noodles. Boil for 1-2 minutes in salted water. You can add spoonfuls of pasta water to your sauce pan to ensure the pan doesn't dry out. Add your Black Kale to the pan, it should lay on top of your simmering ingredients and lock in some moisture and heat.
Once your pasta reaches al dente, strain the noodles and add directly to your sauce pan - save some pasta water in the pot if you can. Season again with salt, and add half your grated cheese.
Toss your pasta, the sauce should have a slightly creamy (but not runny) texture as the liquid from the tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage fat, and pasta water blend with the cheese. You can adjust the "sauciness" of the dish by adding more pasta water and more cheese. Plate your pasta and garnish with more cheese, cracked pepper, and a little olive oil if you have a nice one on hand. 
We love to see how your dishes turn out! Remember to tag #yycpastaclub so we can check out all your pasta club creations.