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1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
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2
Put the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.
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3
As it melts, crumble the sausage meat into it, making the bits quite small, 1/2 inch or less in size.
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4
Add 1/2 cup of water and adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently.
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5
Cook the pasta until it is tender but not at all mushy.
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6
Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta-cooking water.
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7
Drain the pasta and dress with the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary.
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8
Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
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9
Toss with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.
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10
White Pasta with Sausage and Onions: Before adding the sausage, gently cook about 1 cup minced onion in the butter until it is translucent.
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11
Proceed as directed.
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12
Red Pasta with Sausage: Still far lighter than the pasta with sausage youre expecting.
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13
Core, cut up, seed, and drain 5 to 6 plum tomatoes; they may be fresh or canned.
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14
Add them to the sauce along with the sausage.
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15
Add about 1 teaspoon minced garlic or a couple of tablespoons minced shallot to the butter as it melts.
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16
Toss in a handful of chopped fresh parsley or basil at the last moment or add about 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or minced fresh sage along with the sausage.
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17
Use red wine as the cooking liquid; its astringency offsets the sweet richness of butter and meat beautifully.
