PORK and FENNEL SAUSAGE PASTA with RED WINE

It’s pretty hard to beat a great pasta for a quick weeknight meal and this is no exception. Using a good pork and fennel sausage as the base gives you a head start on the flavour front. I’ve used rigatoni here, but you could use any short pasta you have in the pantry. A short pasta is best, as it will hold the lovely chunky sauce well.

Preparation Time 15 minutes | Cooking Time 30 minutes | Serves 4

40 g (1½ oz/3 tablespoons) butter, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 thick pork and fennel sausages

2 red onions, coarsely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons oregano, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

150 ml (5 fl oz) red wine

400 g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes or tin of cherry tomatoes

200 ml (7 fl oz) chicken stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

350 g (12 oz) dried rigatoni or other large tubular pasta

Finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat until the butter foams. Squeeze the sausages out of their skins, discarding the skins, then break them into rough 1 cm (½ inch) pieces, add to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 2–3 minutes until starting to brown. Add the onion, fennel, oregano, garlic, chilli and fennel seeds and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until the onion and fennel are tender. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, mixing well, and simmer for a minute or two until the wine evaporates. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes and chicken stock, season and simmer, stirring frequently, for 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the vinegar and check the seasoning.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. When the sauce is almost ready, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and give it a quick stir to stop the pasta sticking together, then boil until al dente – the exact time will depend on the pasta, but usually this will take 10–12 minutes. Drain, reserving a tablespoon or two of cooking water, then stir the pasta into the sausage mixture to coat well, adding some of the reserved cooking water to thin the sauce a little if necessary. Serve hot, scattered with oregano and grated parmesan.