Sometimes, you just need a meaty, saucy, hearty bowl of pasta. Try this recipe, where complex fennel cuts through rich pork, conchiglioni stands up to thick, wine-infused sauce, and fresh parsley freshens everything up with a floral kick. A batch of this will feed 4 hungry people, or scale it up as it’s great in the freezer.
Ingredients
- 450g Lincolnshire sausages
- 150g chestnuts, vacuum packed.
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1tsp fennel seeds
- 1tbsp olive oil
- Small glass of red wine
- 500g conchiglioni pasta
- 2tbsp flat or curly leaf parsley
- 1 large onion (chopped finely)
- 100g mushrooms
- 2 400g tins of peeled tomatoes
Method
- Before you start, skin the sausages, then shape the meat into small balls. Chop the chestnuts roughly too.
- Add olive oil to a deep-bottomed pan, then fry the onions, mushrooms & garlic, chopped, at a medium heat.
- After around 5 minutes, add the sausage and chestnuts.
- Next, go in with the fennel, pepper & sage (smash these ingredients up in a pestle and mortar first).
- Fry until the sausage is well browned (but not cooked through).
- Break up some of the sausage balls as you cook it down, these will be your sacrifices. They’ll ensure that all the sauce gets the nice meaty flavour.
- Next, add the red wine. Leave cooking for at least 5 minutes, this will evaporate off the alcohol and leave the rich flavour of the wine.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the passata. Allow the mix to bubble away gently for at least 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure there’s no sticking.
- Cook your pasta in salted water at the start of this 20 minutes. Keep a little of the cooking water afterwards – it’s great to have flavourful, starchy water to add to the sauce if it ends up too thick.
- Once the pasta is ready, mix in your parsley with the sauce, then immediately mix everything together.
- Top with a small amount of strong cheese. Parmesan is a good option.
Enjoy!
Jack's Food Blog 