Southern Spoonful: Get Cozy

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The story below is from our January/February 2026 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

The perfect fireside supper should always include garlic bread and a winter cocktail.

Here’s the comforting warm dish you’ve been waiting for all winter: Italian Drunken Noodles. The pappardelle noodles “drink up” the wine sauce while being surrounded by spicy Italian sausage and bell peppers.

Served with my Shaved Brussels sprouts salad and Parmesan Garlic Bread Bites, it is the perfect fireside supper on a chilly winter evening. After dinner, cozy up to my fireside orange old fashioned spiced with Szechuan peppercorn Chinese 5 spice syrup.

Italian Drunken Noodles

Yield: 4 servings

Serve in warmed ovenproof pasta bowls.

  • 8 ounces pappardelle noodles, uncooked
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 19 ounces (6 links) Italian sausage links, casings removed (use mild or spicy sausage according to your taste)*
  • 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thinly
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ tablespoon Greek seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Chianti wine
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
  • Shaved Asiago cheese

Place a braiser pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once the oil is hot, crumble the Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you will want to keep the sausage fairly chunky). Brown the sausage in the oil for a few minutes. Once the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl.

Add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, stir and allow the onions to caramelize, about 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a little of the ¼ cup of water to the pan to help prevent burning). Once the onions are caramelized, add the salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper and stir to combine.

Add the sliced bell peppers and allow those to sauté with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender. Add the garlic and once the garlic begins to brown add the Chianti wine. Cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and return the sausage to the pan. Stir to combine. Add sugar, stir. Cook for an additional 20 minutes over medium low heat.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the pappardelle according to package directions. Drain.

Warm the ovenproof pasta bowls in a low oven.

To finish the sauce, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the sauce. Stir in the Italian parsley and basil.

Serve the sauce over pappardelle in warmed pasta bowls. Garnish with shaved Asiago cheese.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pistachios and Cherries

Yield: 4 servings

  • 4 cups shaved fresh Brussels sprouts
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup toasted pistachios
  • 1/3 cup sweetened dried cherries
  • 1/3 cup grated asiago cheese
  • ¼ cup snipped chives
  • ¼ teaspoon flaked salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts using a mandoline. Place them in a salad bowl and toss with  olive oil, lemon juice, pistachios, dried cherries, asiago cheese, chives, salt and pepper.

Right before serving, toss and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Parmesan Garlic Bread Bites 

Yield: 36 bites 

  • 1 can refrigerated pizza dough 
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
  • 6 tablespoons butter 
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot 
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning 
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  

Shape the dough into logs: Open the package of pizza dough. Lay the dough flat on a cutting board and cut it into four vertical pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 1 inch thick.  

Use a pizza cutter or scissors to cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Place the pieces onto prepared baking sheet.  

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot. Stir and heat until shallots are soft and translucent. Add garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning, basil and oregano. Stir. Remove from heat.  

Use a pastry brush to brush each of the bread bites with a light coat of garlic butter. (You will need more later so do not use all of the garlic butter in this step.) 

Sprinkle bread bites with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Save a little of the Parmesan to sprinkle over the bread bites after they have finished cooking. 

Bake in 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. They should be light golden brown. Watch carefully so they do not burn. 

Remove from oven and brush them again with garlic butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.  

Fireside Orange Old Fashioned  

Yield: 1 cocktail 

Note: Peppercorn orange syrup needs to steep for 4 hours. 

  • 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns* 
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 
  • 1 orange 
  • 1 cup pulp-free orange juice 
  • ¼ cup turbinado sugar 
  • ¼ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice 
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
  • 2 ounces bourbon 
  • Jumbo ice cube 
  • Orange peel twist for garnish 

To make peppercorn Chinese 5 spice syrup: Place Szechuan and black peppercorns in a small saucepan. Heat on medium low for about 1 minute until the peppercorns are fragrant. Remove from heat. 

Slice a thin slice off each end of the orange and discard the ends. Slice orange and place slices on a baking sheet. Broil orange slices for about 7 – 10 minutes or until edges of orange are browned. 

Place orange slices in saucepan with peppercorns. Add orange juice, turbinado sugar, Chinese 5 spice and maple syrup to orange slices and peppercorns. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steep for 4 hours.  

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 2 ounces bourbon and 2 ounces peppercorn orange syrup.  Shake well. Pour into an old fashioned glass over jumbo ice cube. Garnish with orange peel twist. 

Notes:  

  • Yard Bull Meats has a wide variety of Italian sausage links from mild to spicy. 
  • Szechuan peppercorns are available at The Grocer (Indian grocery store). 

The story above is from our January/February 2026 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!