Pasta w/ Sausage, Tomatoes, & Spinach

When I am cooking for someone for the first time, I like to keep things simple. As Ina Garten has taught me, when entertaining...you should be with your guests not alone in the kitchen. She always tells this story about how she spent an entire party making omelets for her guests...

I have a couple dishes that I often make for guests because they pass the 3 tests:

1. The recipe has few ingredients and is easy to make
2. I've made it before successfully
3. It's a crowd pleaser (for even the pickiest of eaters)

Ingredients:

1 Lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup White Wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
1 can chopped San Marzano Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 bag Spinach
1 package Dry Pasta* (I used Bionaturae g-free Fusilli)

1. Brown sausage with olive oil on medium heat in a deep saute pan.
2. Add in garlic and stir for about a minute or 2 (do not let the garlic burn).
3. Stir in chicken stock, wine and tomatoes one at time. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1/2 hour.
4. Add spinach 2-3 minutes before serving. Enough time to wilt the spinach.
5. Serve over cooked pasta with Parmigiano Reggiano

*Put pasta water on about an hour before serving...and cook after the sauce has been simmering for about 20 minutes.

Although I successfully served this dinner...I forgot to take a picture. I'll post after the next time I made it.

With dinner, I served a Pinot Noir from The Wild Hog Vineyard (a small winery in Cali). The wine was a bit cloudy when I poured it, so I used the aerator and I think it helped.