A dish I learned from my good friend Andrea, who is originally from Rome but has collected unusual pasta dishes from all over Italy. This is clearly a peasant dish, but the presence of sausage, butter, and cream makes it special enough for guests. Use well-seasoned “Italian” sausage; it can be hot if you like. That made without casing—in patties or bulk—will save you a step.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 4 servings

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons butter

　　1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

　　1/2 cup heavy cream

　　1 pound ziti or other cut pasta

　　Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and add salt. Put the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. As it melts, crumble the sausage meat into it, making the bits 1/2 inch or less in size. Add the cream and adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently.

　　

Step 2

Cook the pasta until it is tender but not at all mushy. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Dress the pasta with the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, toss with the Parmesan, and serve.

　　

Pasta with Sausage

Step 3

This is simpler, lighter, and just as good in its own way: in step 1, replace the butter with olive oil, omit the cream, and add 1/2 cup water to the sausage.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.