Italian Sausage with Eggplant and Penne...

You can read about numerous recipes for Italian sausage mixes and dishes. And, I can tell you about some and one in particular. When it comes to Italian sausage mixes, I am not a fan of fennel in the mix. Why? Because, I don't like fennel. It has the taste of anise or 'licorice' which for me is too medicinal.

Often, it is not easy to find Italian sausage that does not contain fennel. Also, when it comes to getting good Italian sausage (meaty but not spongy), one has to be careful that the sausage does not have a strong order. Pork that has gone bad will smell funny and be sticky to touch.

Sadly, on occasion, you can get burned buying bad pork even when buying from your favorite supermarket. Best is to buy from a butcher counter where you can ask to smell and ask for sausage that does not contain fennel. You might be frowned at but its better to be a happy shopper than angry Italian.

For this particular dish, saute chopped onion in olive oil until browned. Push aside the onion to add a fresh medium sized diced eggplant; then, brown as well. Remove the onion and eggplant while you brown the sausage in the same skillet.

Return the onion and eggplant, turning up the heat to add 1/2 cup of tomato soup liquid (if you have left over) or a vegetable soup stock. Let simmer while you prepare the pasta or warm up any left over pasta you happen to have.