Cajun Cream Pasta-late entry from Summer
One good thing about quarantine: my cooking mojo is back. Today’s dish is a very good solution when you find stress has led you to inadvertently hoard G&W’s andouille sausage (completely delicious by the way). Decided to try my hand at a Cajun cream pasta. Note all measurements are very approximate. I never really measure when I cook (different for baking). Cajun Cream Pasta (by way of St. Augustine)
1 tbsp butter
3/4 pound andouille sausage halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4 inch slices
1-2 tsp EVOO if needed
small yellow onion, diced small
2 ribs of celery, diced small
1/2 green pepper, diced small
2 large garlic cloves, mixed finely or pressed through garlic paste
Cajun seasoning to taste*-I used a datil pepper seasoning I got in St. Augustine which was fabulous
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 -3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Generous half pound of cavatappi pasta, prepared al dente
Salt to taste
Boil salted water for pasta. While that comes to a boil, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet and sauté the andouille sausage to get a bit of sear and flavor the fat. Remove sausage and eat aside). Sauté the holy trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) until softened 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and sauté of 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add cream and lower heat to medium. Return andouille to pan and add Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, spice blend. Simmer until pasta is ready. When pasta is done reserve some pasta water and drain. Add pasta to skillet and toss with sauce. Add some pasta water to loosen if needed. Heat through. Top with fresh grated Parmesan.
*Note: if using a Cajun seasoning blend with salt be cautious as andouille and cheese will add further saltiness. If you can find a low salt blend then bring salt up to palate this may work better. Also feel to use other seasoning blends if they suit your palate.