Elevate an erstwhile prosaic sausage casserole to elegant heights with this scrumptious, seasonal sausage celebration.
Ingredients (serves 4)
400g high-quality sausages with a high meat content (Toulouse sausages work particularly well here)
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground
The leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ tsp red chili flakes
1 large garlic clove, peeled and grated
150ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
150ml chicken stock
300g dried tagliatelle
To serve: 50g Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
Method
Remove the cases from the sausages and break into rustic chunks. Heat a little olive oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium-high heat and sauté the sausage meat for around 10 minutes, stirring from time to time until nicely caramelised and started to turn a little bit ‘gnarly’.
Add the onion, celery, fennel, fennel seeds, rosemary, chilli and garlic to the pan and continue to sauté for a further 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent and the mixture smells fragrant. Add the wine and bubble gently until reduced in volume by half. Add the cream and the chicken stock, season generously, partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle for 2 minutes less than the instructions on the packet and drain well, reserving 1-2 tbsp of the starchy cooking water. When your ragù is cooked, add the cooked pasta to the ragù pan and use tongs to toss the mixture together, adding the reserved pasta cooking water as you go to create a silky texture.
Serve in warmed bowls topped with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and lots of black pepper.