Sausage Arrabiata (Unlocked)

a recipe that makes me happy and an ode to gentle things

Originally published for paying subscribers May 22, 2022. Unlocked now!

I’ve always liked gentle things. Like

1. Those fuzzy blankets that change from light to dark when you run your hand over them.

2. Dogs.

3. Socks that warm your feet while you sleep and quiet your steps in the early morning.

4. Cups of tea that stay, as if by magic, at the perfect temperature.

5. “The Great British Bakeoff” with its kind contestants, chirping birds, light and bouncy music, and soft voices speaking in British accents.

6. “Downton Abbey” with its unkind characters, chirping birds, dark and dramatic music, and voices speaking in British accents.

7. Basically anything British — audiobooks, “Great British Bakeoff,” “Sanditon,” Kensington, pretty much any ‘ton.’

8. Taking the non-highway way home past land where the light drifts through trees like sand through your fingers and newborn foals graze by narrow, gurgling creeks.

9. Watching different colored ingredients blend together in a pot.

I love gentle things.

I think I’ve always loved gentle things. For as long as I can remember, loud sounds and voices have made me jump. People ask me daily to repeat myself, as I often talk much too quietly to be heard.

I like the soft bubbling of curry cooking and the low, airy tone of a running oven. When I was a baby, my mom would put me in a backpack while she cooked so that she could keep moving and keep me with her. She tells me I would crane my little neck to look over her shoulder as she minced and stirred. When I got a bit bigger, she says I would push up on her hips with my legs in the backpack so that I could see what she was doing better.

Maybe that’s why I find cooking to be such a gentle thing.

I think a lot of people enjoy gentle things. Like

1. Soft grass.

2. Music played quietly in the background.

3. Hugs from people they love.

4. Fudge so soft it melts in your mouth.

5. Soft breezes.

6. Light rain.

7. Warm showers and sitting by fires,

8. And a feeling of calm and rightness in the world around you.

And I think, so much of the time, we forget about these gentle things because they’re not the things that clamor for our attention. They’re not loud enough or needy enough to call us away from the things that must get done.

So often, our basic human need to surround ourselves with gentle, calming things from time to time is almost impossible to feed. The grass is dry and brittle. The rain comes pouring down. People we love are too far away. The wind blows hard. Cooking is crammed into too small time-spaces and becomes something stressful, something that needs to be conquered. Something to brace for.

My physical therapist told me that I need to stop bracing for pain in order to get to the point where I can do things from a place of strength. I need that in life the rest of my life, too.

This is a recipe that I’ve made since my childhood, and it’s become such a comforting meal over the years. It’s a recipe that feels gentle in the eating and the making. It’s not difficult to make, and the warmth of the pillowy gnocchi melting in my mouth never fails to make me smile. I hope you enjoy it.

Sausage Arrabiata

You will need:

3 cloves garlic

1 lb sweet Italian sausage

1 cup onions, diced

1 1/2 cups red bell pepper, sliced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

2 cups hot gnocchi, cooked according to package directions

1/4 cup parmesan, shredded

What to do:

Brown sausage in a sauté pan. Drain sausage and set aside. Add garlic, onions, bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping any brown bits. Simmer until wine is reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add basil. Toss with gnocchi and parmesan.

What’s your favorite comfort food? I’d love to know! Comment here:

I hope you enjoy this gentle meal! That’s it for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading. If you know anyone who would like this post (or Food & Fodder in general!) please share!

Thanks,

Juliana

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