Farmers Market Dinner: Chestnut Troffie with Sausage & Chantrelles Served with Ina's Sauteed Spinach

I love speaking with the vendors and other customers at the farmers market. They're a great resource for how to select, store and prepare foods you buy at the market. These are the people who grow and make the food, and the customers enjoying it, so who better to talk to for information and inspiration?!

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This last Sunday I was chatting with the molto friendly Samuele Lucchese, owner of Pasteria Lucchese, and a few of his regulars. They were discussing how much they all loved the Chestnut Troffie. I've never prepared or even eaten Chestnut Troffie so I didn't have the first clue how to prepare a sauce for it, so I asked. Samuele is so passionate about his handmade pastas that it's fun to hear him describe how he'd prepare a sauce. He explained it with hand gestures and passion, but it was as simple as this: grate some shallot, slice open a sausage link, throw in some mushrooms, finish with a little cream. Voila! Too good to be true? No! It's fabulous. I made it last night start to finish in less than 30 minutes and between my husband, one year-old son and I, we polished off every last morsel. I'll be buying the Chestnut Troffie again this Sunday for sure.

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I served it with Ina's Garlic Sauteed Spinach.

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I have to give a shout out to my friend Marly who first introduced me to Pasteria Lucchese when she used their delicious handmade tagliatelle at a dinner party she hosted (stay tuned for photos and recipes from that amazing dinner!). I've since been hooked on the pasta. Thanks Marly!

Chestnut Troffie with Sausage & Chantrelles

1-2 T olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced (roughly 3-4 T)

3 cloves garlic, minced

freshly ground black pepper

2 hot Italian sausage links (from Skagit River Ranch)

3 cups chantrelles, roughly chopped or sliced (from Foraged & Found Edibles)

1 cup chicken stock (I buy the Whole Foods Organic Chicken Stock set of three 8.45oz containers because they're perfect when you just need about a cup)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Chestnut Troffie (from Pasteria Lucchese)

freshly grated parmesan

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Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

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Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two, then sprinkle with pepper. Slice open sausage links and break sausage into small pieces before adding it to the pan. Saute until almost cooked through. Add chantrelles and saute for several minutes. Once they've softened and cooked down a bit, add chicken stock and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and cook for several minutes so flavors come together and sauce reduces.

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Pasteria Lucchese noodles go straight from the freezer to boiling water so grab them from the freezer at this time. Add salt to the boiling water, then add noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Drain noodles and add to the sauce. Let pasta finish cooking in the sauce. Serve with parmesan on top.