RIGATONI IN A WOODSMAN’S SAUCE

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage

2 cups sliced Shiitake mushrooms

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup canned crushed Italian tomatoes

1/2 cup Ricotta cheese

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup half-and-half

Salt and ground pepper

1 lb. Rigatoni

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggano cheese

In a large. nonreactive saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook over a moderate heat until wilted.

Remove sausage from casings and crumble. Add to the onions. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Drain all the fat from the pan.

Add the mushrooms and butter and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer gently until thick, about 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of the Ricotta to the sauce and mix well. Then add the peas and half-and-half and boil lightly for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling water. Drain well. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well over a low heat. Fold in the remaining ricotta and the Parmigiano.