Penne with Sausage Sauce

Very quick and moorishly tasty – beats a bolognese when one doesn’t have the time. Adapted from my mother’s sicilian sausage recipe (if in Oxford use the covered market sausage man’s sicilian sausage and skip the fennel and reduce the chili). Serves about 4 but I always eyeball quantities….

Ingredients:

  • olive oil
  • 1 large red onion – finely minced
  • 5 garlic cloves – finely minced
  • 400 grams sausage meat (meat removed from skins)
  • 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 a nutmeg nut freshly grated
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon chili flakes
  • 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 handfuls red ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 bottle of red wine
  • 100 grams parmesan
  • 100 ml creme fraiche
  • Penne pasta
  1. Fry onion, then garlic, then add sausage meat – brown
  2. Then add rosemary, bay, chili, fennel seed, and nutmeg
  3. Add wine and cook till alcohol burns off
  4. Add tomatoes and then leave to simmer for 20-30mins
  5. Season with salt and pepper (adjust spices if need be)
  6. Stir in cream and parmesan
  7. Serve with penne and basil and parmesan on top

Penne with sausage sauce (missing the basil leaves...)