I created this recipe for an anthology compiled by the GoaWriters network to that I belong. Thanks to the added vegetables this pasta dish provides extra vitamins and minerals without losing the traditional taste of the Goan sausage.

Here is an excerpt from the story, capsule which accompanied the recipe:

The revealing nature of the Goan sausage

To enjoy one of the signature dishes of Goan cuisine, you literally have to tear its insides out. The cook has to slit the cover and toss the insides of the sausage into a frying pan, a collection of morsels surrounded by a dark red spice mix: A tasty treat, but not one easy to digest. The load of fat makes the Goan sausage definitely ‘comfort food’.

Slashing open the Goan sausage spreads the aroma of ground spices and tickles the taste buds, promising further delights. It quickly looses its appearance of a simple, cheap meal available for a few rupees once it turns international. You can buy Goan sausages on the Internet for the same price as Parma ham or smoked The same can be said of Goa. Many people pay thousands of dollars for holidays in the luxury resorts dotted along the southwestern coast of India. These people miss opening the Goan sausage. Inside the sausage you find white dices of lard. If you’d like a comparison, the white lard resembles some tourists visiting Goa.

Their presence is noticed but seldom appreciated. Politicians use this influx of white skin when they need a scapegoat. Although their presence spells a boost to the local economy, nobody thinks of them well or values their role here.

Another ingredient of the sausage is its flesh. Like the so-called hippies that opened Goa up for tourism, some pieces of sausage meat resisted the influence of the masala. These peace-loving individuals only cared to live a free, cheap life and to party until they were kicked out for the sake of mass tourism.

Nowadays Goa’s international reputation has suffered. It is considered a place where anything goes, rape, murder corruption. However, people from all over the world would like to live in Goa and could contribute to make it a better place.

To analyse issues and to contribute to solutions, one does not need to be born here. This state could profit from experiences made in other parts of the world, brought here by people with an international mindset. However, latest visa regulations deter foreign individuals from living in Goa. Maybe the time has come for Goa and India to embrace a diverse society – time for a different sausage recipe.

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 500 gram Italian pasta (1 packet)
• 1 Goan sausage around 200 gram
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 bundle spring onions
• 2 big cloves of garlic
• 1 big carrot
• 2 bundles spinach
• 50 gram freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt
• black pepper
  

Method:

Start by getting the water ready to boil the pasta. Now you can begin to work on the sausage mixture. Clean the spring onions keeping the green stems and chop them roughly. Clean the carrot and grate it. Wash the spinach leaves, discarding all discolored parts. After washing the spinach, drain the water and pat the leaves dry with kitchen towels. Grate the parmesan cheese.

Heat the oil and fry the spring onions until they turn transparent. Don’t brown them. Add the cleaned and smashed garlic and keep on frying for 1 minute. Now you can slice open the Goan sausage and add the sausage meat to the spring onions. If you want to save calories, pick out the pieces of lard. Toss everything for about 2 minutes in the pan, and then add the grated carrot. Fry for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

Now the pasta water should be boiling. Add one table spoon of salt to the water, throw in the pasta and cook until tender. While the pasta is cooking, cut the spinach leaves into stripes about half a centimeter wide. If you want some crunch in your pasta, you can also chop the spinach stems and add them.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it; toss it in a pot with the butter until the butter is melted. Now add the sausage and mix it well with the pasta. Pour the pasta in a big bowl, cover with the chopped spinach, and sprinkle with 3 table spoons of grated parmesan cheese. Grate plenty of black pepper over the top. Serve immediately with the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Kornelia is a German food writer living in Goa, India, with her Italian husband and her son.  She has published two cookbooks, Kornelia’s Kitchen – Mediterranean Cooking for India and Kornelia’s Kitchen 2 – Cooking for Allergies. Both have won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award. All her recipes are easy, fast and delicious – the right kind of food to keep your family healthy and happy without spending too much time in the kitchen.