Penne with Italian Sausage, Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

Okay...I have to confess that I stole this recipe from Max. The dish he made for me before was delicious, however I think this time I did a much better job by using roasted fresh tomatoes instead of his favorite canned tomatoes :)  Actually either way this dish tastes so wonderful with a kick from the arugula.

PENNE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE, ROASTED TOMATOES AND ARUGULA

serves 6

12 Roma tomatoes, cored and halved

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

450-500g sweet Italian sausage

1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1/2 red wine

1 pound Ziti pasta

3 cups packed fresh arugula

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread 1 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, on top. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 30-35 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and the tomatoes are slightly brown around the edges. Coarsely chop tomatoes.
• Put the sausage in a large skillet and pour 1 cup of cold water on top. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 12-15 minutes. Remove sausages from pan and cut into 1" pieces. 
• Heat another large skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the sausage and brown for 1-2 minutes, then add basil and cook for 30 seconds. Add red wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
• While sausage is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
• 5 minutes to pasta is done, add arugula to the sauce, stir well
• Drain the pasta and transfer to a large serving platter. Top with the sausage and tomato mixture and toss well. Sprinkle with few tbsp of Parmesan to serve.