Penne alla Boscaiola

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Ginny of Cooking with Chopin regarding a wonderful cookbook (published by her mom!) called A Family Farm in Tuscany.  She asked if I'd be willing to be part of the book's blogging book tour.  Once I heard the basic premise of the book, there was no way I could refuse!  All I have to say is, I was easily transported back to my family's homeland as soon as I cracked open the cover.

Sarah's content focuses mainly on her farm, Fattoria Poggio Alloro, and how family traditions tie into it.  Any reader of mine knows that this hits close to home for me!  I loved it and could relate to a good amount of her stories.

I tried my best to narrow down what I wanted to make, and believe me, it was hard!  I also wanted to keep the dish seasonal, so that limited my choices a bit, but I can't wait to dig deeper into this amazing cookbook.  The articles, pictures and recipes are all amazing.  So interesting, detailed and REAL.

Since we love pasta in this house, I naturally gravitated toward a few pasta dishes, and ended up making this one.  Delicious, easy, make ahead, freezer friendly...what more could you ask for?

If the hurricane didn't hit us so hard these past few days, I definitely would have tried another recipe.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do so due to power outages and store closings.  I will definitely be preparing more of these amazing dishes soon, so keep an eye out for them!

The bottom line is: I HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy for yourself!  This cookbook is a gem.


Penne alla Boscaiola (Lumberjack Mushroom Penne)
slightly adapted from A Family Farm in Tuscany

1/2 onion, chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
16 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella)
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces Italian sausage, removed from casings and broken into pieces
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (I used plum tomatoes, and crushed them by hand)
1/2 cup warm water***
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt to taste
1 pound pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
grated Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large dutch oven, add oil, then onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook down for about 15 minutes.

Add garlic, cook for one minute, then add sausage.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until sausage is cooked through.  Add tomatoes, water, red pepper and salt.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add cooked pasta to pan of sauce and stir together.  Sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and serve.


***I didn't add water because I used whole tomatoes and the liquid from the can, so extra liquid wasn't necessary.  If you use crushed tomatoes or tomato puree, add the additional 1/2 cup water as the recipe states.