Sausage, Basil & Mustard Pasta

I'd been meaning to make this for some time now. I think I first saw it almost a year ago while trawling the vast savannas of the internet and have stumbled upon it numerous times since then. But somehow I just never got round to making it. There always seemed to be better things to do. Like lying on the couch. Or trying to bust out of my couch potato slump by wogging*. Heck I even acquired two cats before I tried my hand at this recipe.

This wasn't the only thing that became a casualty in the Great Plague of Procrastination. Other things slipped as well. Like the kitchen shelf we put up two weeks ago. Bought in February. Um. Or the his & her's key hooks we received as a wedding present. Which we only put up at the beginning of the year. After being married for nearly three years. Right then.

But I work with a plan you see. There are some serious benefits to procrastination:

a) Procrastination frees up a lot of time before the event. You're free to do whatever else it is that tickles your fancy! and
b) The feeling of accomplishment after you eventually do that thing is much bigger. 

She shoots, she scores, right? I mean take this pasta. The original combo sounded good deadly - cream, crispy pork sausages, tangy mustard and fresh pungent basil. The actual execution with added mushrooms? Even better. And it's quick! So you can get on with your procrastination of other things, pronto. After all, we're all about efficiency here at Casa del Pot.

* Yes, that is indeed a word. It implies a cross between walking and jogging and was coined by yours truly. I plan to contact the compilers of Oxford Dictionary soon to include it in their next edition.

Sausage, Basil & Mustard Pasta
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4

500g (approx 1 lb) short pasta (i.e fusilli, penne, shells)
1 tsp olive oil
250g (approx 1/2 lb) mushrooms, sliced
500g (approx 1 lb) pork sausages
1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
1/2 cup wine
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup cream
3 tbsp coarse-grained mustard
1 tsp paprika
salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil


1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add pasta with a pinch of salt and cook until al dente. 
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Squeeze sausages out of their skins to form bite-sized pieces and add to the pan alongside the garlic, if using. Fry over medium to high heat until browned. 
4. Add wine and water and simmer for a couple of minutes or until liquid has reduced by half, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
5. Add cream, mustard, paprika and salt and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and heat through.
6. Toss sauce with drained pasta, stir basil leaves in and serve immediately.