Tom King, manager of the meat and seafood department at Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Iowa, submitted the following recipes. They are from “Cucina Rustica: Simple, Irresistible Recipes in the Rustic Italian Style.”

Orecchiette con Salsicce e Finocchio

(Little Ears with Sausage and Fennel)

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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, peeled and minced

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

10 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled

10 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

5 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup young red wine

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup cream (optional)

1 pound imported orecchiette pasta

grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese for the table

Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion and gently saute over low heat until it wilts. Add fennel and continue cooking until both fennel and onion are soft. Turn up heat and add garlic to skillet. Saute garlic briefly just until it turns opaque and releases its aroma. Add sausage and brown over high heat. When no trace of pink remains in the sausage, add basil, oregano, chicken broth and red wine, plus salt and pepper to taste. Turn down the heat to medium and cook sauce until liquids reduce and flavors are well blended. Add the cream, if desired, and cook just until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Cook orecchiette pasta in abundant boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta thoroughly and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Cook briefly over moderate heat, stirring well. Serve immediately in large, shallow serving bowl topped with plenty of grated cheese of your choice. Serves four to six.

Spiedini di Salsicce

(Grilled Skewered Sausages)

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4 sweet fresh Italian sausages

24 pieces country bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

extra-virgin olive oil

Pierce sausages with a fork in several places. Boil them in water to cover for about 10 minutes. Drain and cut each sausage into five pieces. Have four skewers ready. Thread bread and sausages on skewers, starting with a cube of bread. There should be five pieces of sausage and six pieces of bread per skewer. Very lightly brush with olive oil. Heat a charcoal or gas grill or broiler until very hot. Grill skewers until bread and sausage are golden and crusty on the outside. Serves four.

Serve with a fresh green salad and a few crisp radishes or slivers of raw fennel.

Crostini con Ricotta e Salsicce

(Crostini with Ricotta and Sausage Topping)

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1 cup fresh ricotta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 sweet Italian sausages

Crostini (small, thin slices of toasted bread)

Place ricotta in a bowl. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed.

Place sausages and a few tablespoons of water in a small saute pan. Puncture the skin of the sausages with a fork and cook over medium heat. When the water evaporates, continue cooking sausages until they brown. Remove from heat and, when cool enough to handle, skin the sausages and crumble the meat.

Add crumbled sausages to ricotta mixture and blend well. Spread ricotta and sausage mixture on Crostini and serve immediately. Serves six to eight.