Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Arugula, Wine and Parmigiano Reggiano

When I lived in San Diego, there was a restaurant in Hillcrest called Dakota (or Montana or some midwest state - can't seem to find it online, so I suspect it's closed). Whenever I went, I always got the same thing: a house pasta dish with sausage and greens. I remember it involved duck somehow - either in the sausage or broth - but basically, it was a rich broth with pasta, sausage, greens, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Oh, and garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. 


I played around for years trying to make it at home, and I think what I've come up with is pretty close - and as it turns out, not difficult. The key is using really good ingredients - real Parmigiano Reggiano, good fresh sausage, good chicken stock, and a decent dry white wine. 


Here's my version:


1 pound italian chicken sausage, fresh, removed from casings
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-5 cloves of garlic, chopped 
1/2 to 1 cup of dry white wine - I generally use Sauvignon Blanc
1 to 2 cups good chicken stock - home made is best, but Trader Joe's works well
1 cup very finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano - use the finest microplane to get the cheese really fluffy
several handfuls of arugula or spinach, or any bitter green that wilts nicely 
1/2 pound pasta


Boil pasta in salted water until al dente - strain and set aside.


In a large saute pan over a medium high burner, add a tablespoon of olive oil once the pan is hot, then brown the sausage. 


Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then the garlic. Cook until the garlic is just starting to get golden, then add the sausage back into the pan. Combine garlic and sausage well, then add the wine, and turn the heat up a bit. Once the wine is reduced slightly, add the chicken broth, and let the combined liquids reduce by about half. 


Add the cooked pasta to the pan, then add the greens, and stir until they wilt. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and stir until it's incorporated into the broth (The finely grated cheese is important for this step -  you shouldn't actually see that there is cheese in the dish, just that the broth is cloudy)


Serves 4.