Chicken-Apple Sausage with Bow Tie Pasta and Balsamic-Apple Reduction

This recipe is basically a meat and pasta mix, but the critical part that made it worth repeating is the reduced Balsamic vinegar with minced dried apple. That's a great binder and flavor combination with the sausaage. Made this a few weeks ago, but think I remember it.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Chicken Apple Sausage Links, 24 oz. sliced as thinly as possible. (I used a local frozen product from Fair Foods. Was eight pieces and very moist.)

olive oil, 2 T
onion, 1 L, thinly sliced
dried bow tie pasta, 1 lb.
Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c.
dried apple, 2T minced
peanuts, roasted and unsalted, 1/3 c.
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/4 c.
basil, fresh, 4-5 leaves minced.
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Cook it until al dente and drain.


2. While pasta is cooking, slice and saute onions in a skillet. Let onions caramelize.


3. Put Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn to simmer. Add 1 T of minced apple and reserve rest for garnish. Simmer vinegar until reduced by half so only 2 T remain.


4. Meanwhile, add sausage to onions and heat on medium to high until sausage cooked through. Add another T of oil if seems dry.


5. Add the reduced vinegar and mix in. Reduce heat.


6. One cooking spoon at a time, add cooked pasta and mix in. When all of the pasta is mixed in, add salt and pepper to taste (probably at least 1/2 t of salt).


7. Serve in bowls and garnish with two pinches each of minced apple, minced basil, and grated Parmesan.