penne with sausage, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes

From the lovely Giada De Laurentiis's Giada's Family Dinners cookbook, this is one of our favorite recipes of hers. It's a great family-style meal, but also good for just the 2 of us because we have a lot of leftovers for lunches or pot-luck dinner nights. Be prepared, this takes up a lot of space in the kitchen and requries a BIG pan (like a Wok).

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Makes: 6 main-course servings

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (I bought them already cut julienne to make it easier)
2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound Italian hot sausages, casings removed
2 8-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts thawed (you can also use canned, quartered artichokes if you can't find frozen - drain them before cooking with them though)
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
salt
12 ounces penne (or other short pasta, I used Rotini this time)
½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork. Transfer sausage to a bowl

2. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until garlic is tender (about 2 minutes). Add the broth, wine, and tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat, sitrring occasionally, until the sauce reduces slightly (about 8 minutes).

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but still firm to the bite (about 10 minutes). Drain the pasta, do not rinse.

4. Add the pasta, sausage, Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella, if using.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.