Italian Sausage and Artichoke Penne

Ahh that looks so crazy with black Penne!!! I've been craving Italian sausage and OG's Zuppa Toscana lately, and then I realized... THERE IS NO ITALIAN SAUSAGE HERE =(
I decided to make my own.. It's too hot to eat soup these days, and then since I had an artichoke waiting to be consumed in my fridge...I decided to use it! I know an artichoke isn't something one would usually have on hand, but I found some beautiful ones on sale for 2/1€50 and I jumped on it... how much are they in the US? I steamed one the other day and ate it with lemon butter... it went down so fast and I forgot to photograph it, so maybe next time.
So I found black penne and thought it would be cool to freak out my FIL who's not used to "out of the ordinary" food... he liked it though.. 1 point for me!!
Italian Sausage:
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked fennel seeds
1 Tbsp paprika
3 cloves minced/mashed garlic
1 tsp sugar
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

Mix it all together with your hands... then fill casings if you want to. Let rest a few hours in the fridge.. I left mine overnight. I didn't use casings.. I kind of rolled them into little meatballs and used a little less than half for my pasta, and froze the rest. How easy and spot on. I didn't put in red pepper flakes for heat because most of the people I feed can't handle it.. but I always add them into my plate =)

Italian Sausage and Artichoke Penne: Serves 6
2-3 Italian sausages or 1/2 lb mixture rolled into balls
1 fresh (or frozen) artichoke heart, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped bell pepper
1 chopped tomato (or sub in handful of sundried)
1/2 cup vegetable stock (I used chicken)
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 bag (500g) penne or other pasta
1 handful fresh chopped parsley
Parmesan and/or swiss cheese

Directions:
First of all, start your pasta water...
1. Sautee garlic and sausage until browned.. drain the grease, please.
2. Add the artichoke heart and stir around for 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and tomato and let cook 3-5 more minutes.
3. Add the vegetable stock and cook for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.
4. When your pasta is done, add the heavy cream and parlsey to your sauce, and toss your pasta in it.

Serve with parmesan on top and enjoy!

Yum!
Btw.. too hot to eat soup usually doesn't figure in my vocab, but alas I am We, and I will make my Zuppa Toscana as soon as the weather cools. I have to remember that if I made it, I would be the only one to eat it, sadly.