Creamy Sausage & Mushroom Boscaiola Sauce

Instructions

1. Choose one sausage form for the batch. For links: heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Sear the links whole until the skins are deeply browned on several sides. Brown them as whole links first, then slice. Transfer to a cutting board and, once cool enough to handle, slice into about 1/2-inch coins. The dark sear stays on the casing. For ground sausage: add it to the hot skillet and break it into large, rustic pieces. Let those pieces sit long enough to develop deep brown edges before turning. Transfer to a plate. For meatballs: make a batch of Italian Sausage Meatballs, then brown them in this skillet and transfer to a plate. Leave the rendered fat and browned fond in the skillet. If you used a lean chicken or turkey sausage and the skillet is dry, add a little olive oil.

   

   

2. Add all 16 oz mushrooms to the sausage skillet over medium-high heat. Cook without seasoning at first, stirring occasionally, while they soften and release their liquid. Continue until that liquid has mostly evaporated. Spread them out and give them 1 to 2 minutes undisturbed between stirring so they develop golden-brown edges. Add up to 1 tbsp olive oil if the skillet gets too dry. Once browned, season with 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more. A full pound usually takes 10 to 14 minutes.

   

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp butter, the diced onion, and 1/8 tsp kosher salt. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent with a little gold.

   

4. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, another 1/4 tsp black pepper, and crushed cardamom seeds if using. Cook 30 to 45 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. If using fresh thyme or oregano instead of dried Italian seasoning, add them here. Save fresh parsley for the end.

5. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth. Scrape the bottom of the skillet so the browned sausage and mushroom fond go into the broth. Let it bubble and reduce 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Return the sausage and any juices to the skillet. Sliced links: simmer about 4 to 6 minutes, until fully cooked. Ground sausage that is already cooked through: simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Meatballs: cover and gently simmer about 5 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through. Pork sausage should reach 160 F in the center.

7. Stir in 1/4 cup whole Kalamata olives and cook about 1 minute. Leave the olives whole.

8. Reduce the heat to low. Add both 15 oz jars of Rao's Alfredo and 1/16 to 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Stir gently and heat 3 to 5 minutes, keeping the sauce below a hard boil. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan, a little at a time. Continue with step 10, or use step 9 if you are making the cream sauce from scratch.

   

9. From-scratch instead of Rao's: after the olives, move the sausage, mushrooms, and olives to a bowl. Melt 3 tbsp butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk in 3 tbsp flour and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until the flour loses its raw aroma but the roux stays pale. Combine the milk and heavy cream. Slowly whisk about 1/2 cup into the roux. Once smooth, whisk in the remaining dairy. Gentle simmer 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Reduce to low. Whisk in 1 to 1 1/4 cups Parmesan, then the nutmeg and black pepper. Return the sausage, mushrooms, and whole Kalamatas and heat through.

10. If you are serving this with pasta, ravioli, or gnocchi, reserve at least 1 cup of cooking water. Stir 1/4 cup hot cooking water into the finished sauce, then add more 2 tablespoons at a time until it is creamy and still flows from a spoon. If you are serving it with rice, polenta, vegetables, or something else that does not give you starchy water, loosen with warm chicken broth or milk.

11. Taste a bite with sausage, mushroom, and sauce. If it needs salt, add 1/8 tsp kosher salt at a time. Finish with more black pepper. If using fresh parsley, take the skillet off the heat and stir it in. For a little brightness, you can add a small squeeze of lemon or 1/4 tsp white balsamic reduction, then taste. Serve hot with more Parmesan and black pepper if you want.