This weekend included lots of hauling out the holly, putting up the tree, decking the halls again nooow. Or, non-Mame words, going to Home Depot and buying a little tree, followed by raiding Candice's Christmas stash for ornaments, tinsel, and string lights. Plus, I took a little trip to Flying Tiger to buy some candles to boost the hygge in my Queens apartment.

What is hygge? What is Flying Tiger? Let me brief you why you should also obsess over Danish everything, like I have since my trip to Copenhagen. Hygge=the coziness that comes with sitting around a fire with friends at Christmastime. Coziness and happiness all wrapped up. Flying Tiger is where you go to get $1 candles that will produce hygge in your house. Danes seriously put them all over the place and let them drip-drop on windowsills or pretty trays. I thought I mmight even put together a little guide to holiday hygge later this week since I've really done a lot of research on the topic.

As for hygge in your belly, this ruote will do the trick. (Terrible segue?) I ate this for days straight because I loved it so much. My coworker thought it was "pretzel cereal" when I uncovered it at work--I also don't have any idea what "pretzel cereal" is, but we had a good laugh about it. I'd also like to add that I'd never before used cinnamon and nutmeg in a pasta sauce, but this is gonna happen on the regular, so you know. The spices sneak in and remind me of a wintry mulled wine. Sooo good.

P.S. Don't you just love ruote? My new favorite pasta, as if there is a such thing.

Recipe adapted from one found in Sicily by Phaidon.

Ruote with Sausage Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 sweet Italian sausages
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
20 oz tomato sauce/pureed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
1 cup red wine
1 lb ruote
grated parmesan, to taste

Cooking Directions

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Remove sausage from casings. When pan is hot, add sausage and brown while breaking apart with a wooden spoon. When sausage is cooked and has a good crust, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add mirepoix (celery, carrot, and onion) to pan, reducing heat to medium-low and cooking until carrots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add in tomato sauce, return sausage to sauce, and add in bay leaf, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour in wine.
Allow sauce to cook for about an hour over very low heat. If sauce reduces significantly, pour in 1/2 cup of water and continue to cook. Once sauce is thick and the brightness of the wine and tomatoes have mellowed when you taste, turn off heat. Discard bay leaf.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add in ruote and cook to al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Serve hot and sprinkles with grated parmesan.