Penne with Sausage, Pineapple, and Sriracha Butter

Cut pineapple into rough 1-inch chunks. Slice sausage into coins. Finely mince garlic. Dice yellow onion. Grate mozzarella. Roughly chop parsley.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in penne and cook until just al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.

Reserve 2 cups of starchy pasta water before draining — you'll need this liquid gold aggressively.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add olive oil, then lay in sausage coins in a single layer. Do not touch for 3 minutes — let them develop a deep caramelized crust.

Flip sausage and cook 2 more minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

Toss pineapple chunks and diced onion into the sausage fat. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until pineapple is deeply golden and slightly charred at the edges, about 5-6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the pan and let it melt and foam. Toss in minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour in sriracha and stir to create a glossy, spicy orange sauce. Let it bubble gently for 1 minute.

Add drained pasta directly to the frying pan. Pour in half the reserved pasta water.

Toss vigorously using tongs — the starchy water emulsifies with the butter sauce into something silky and clingy. Add more pasta water as needed.

Return sausage coins to the pan. Add most of the parsley. Toss everything together until the pasta is coated in glorious sriracha-butter pink.

Remove from heat. Add grated mozzarella and toss until it melts into glossy ribbons.

Plate immediately. Finish with remaining parsley, a crack of black pepper, and a final pinch of salt. Serve while steaming and scandalous.