Fettuccine with Hot Italian Sausage and Tuscan Kale

We're well into fall here in Maine. The certainty of winter approaching is a tangible presence in the air. The homeless people I work with at my paying job are increasingly dependent upon the warmth and food that the shelters and soup kitchens offer. This is the beginning of the busy season for those of us who staff those facilities. Hence, I've had less time to blog and cook than I've grown accustomed to over the last several months.

Thursday morning, before I left for work, I decided to make one of my favorite one-pot meals for dinner that night. This recipe is relatively quick to make, delicious, soul- satisfying, and nutritious. Along with a loaf of good bread and a bottle of young red wine, it's a complete meal. Try it sometime!

Make sure you use egg fettuccine rather than "regular" dried fettuccine for this recipe. Egg fettuccine comes in four bird-nesty looking portions per 500 g. (8.8 oz.) package. I like DeCecco brand best.

If you happen to live in southern Maine, Micucci's on India Street in Portland is a wonderful little market and a dependable source for most food things Mediterranean. That's where I got the sausage, pasta, and wine for this dinner.

And if you don't do pig--although I've never tried them with this--I imagine substituting the turkey or chicken-based hot Italian sausages I've seen around would be fine.

Note: Click on photo to enlarge. This works with most photos posted on the blog.