Sausage and Mushroom Soup

Strands of angel-hair pasta form a web in the broth, capturing the slices of sausage and mushroom. Red-pepper flakes give the soup its spiciness; to turn up the heat another notch, use hot Italian sausage instead of mild.

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1 1/4  pounds  mild Italian sausages
• 1  onion, chopped
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• 1  pound  mushrooms, sliced
• 7  cups  canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried red-pepper flakes
• 4  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 1 3/4  teaspoons  salt
• 1/4  pound  angel hair
• 1/8  teaspoon  fresh-ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages into 1/8-inch slices.

2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot over moderately low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the broth, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the salt to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the sausages and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce the heat, and simmer until just done, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and the black pepper.

Wine Recommendation: A Valtellina from northern Piedmont will nicely echo the earthy mushroom and spicy sausage flavors here. The wine is made from the nebbiolo grape, as are the more familiar Barolo and Barbaresco.