Rigatoni with fennel sausage sauce

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Lightly toast all two teaspoons fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then gently crush and set them aside for two later one-teaspoon portions. Slice all six raw fennel sausages (400 g total) into 1.5 cm pieces. In a large saute pan with a lid, heat one tablespoon of the measured cooking olive oil (2½ tbsp). Fry all sausage pieces over medium-high heat for ten minutes, stirring regularly, until golden all over.

   Brown all sausage pieces · 10 minUses 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and gently crushed, divided · 2½ tbsp olive oil for cooking and pasta, divided · 6 raw Italian fennel sausages (400 g total), sliced 1.5 cm thick

2. 2

   Step 2: Lift the browned sausages onto a plate, leaving their used cooking fat in the pan. Peel/chop the onion (1 large), trim and roughly chop the fennel bulb (1), holding any washed fronds for garnishing. Fry all onion and fennel in the used pan for fifteen minutes until soft and caramelised, adding a teaspoon or so from the reserved cooking oil only if dry; keep a full tablespoon of that measured oil for the pasta. Peel/slice only the ragù garlic (1). Add it with all the smoky paprika (½ tsp) and the first half of the toasted/crushed fennel seeds (one teaspoon), fry for two minutes, then add all the red wine (100 ml) and boil for thirty seconds to reduce it by half.

   Uses Lift all browned sausages aside; retain their pan fat · First half of toasted seeds:one teaspoon · 1 large onion, peeled and chopped · 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and roughly chopped; reserve any fronds · ½ tsp smoky paprika · 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced for ragù · 100 ml red wine · A teaspoon or so from the reserved cooking oil, only if the pan dries

3. 3

   Step 3: Add all the tinned chopped tomatoes (400 g), caster sugar (½ tsp), separate 100 ml ragù water and half teaspoon ragù salt to the aromatic-wine pan. Return all the browned sausages from the plate. Cover and simmer for thirty minutes in total, removing the lid after the first ten minutes and continuing uncovered until thick and rich. Ensure sausages are cooked through:at least 71 °C /160 °F for pork or beef sausages, or 74 °C /165 °F for poultry sausages. Remove from the heat, stir in all the halved pitted black olives (50 g) and the remaining one teaspoon toasted/crushed fennel seeds, and hold the sauce ready to serve.

   Simmer ragù for 30 minutes; uncover after 10 minutes · 30 minUses All cooked aromatics and reduced wine · All browned sausages · Second half of toasted seeds:one teaspoon · 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes · ½ tsp caster sugar · 100 ml water for ragù · ½ tsp salt for ragù · 50 g pitted black olives, halved lengthways

4. 4

   Step 4: Bring the separate large pot of pasta water to a boil and salt it to taste. Add all the dry rigatoni (500 g) and cook for twelve to fourteen minutes, or according to the packet, until al dente. Meanwhile reheat the finished sausage ragù until hot throughout.

   Boil rigatoni to al dente; follow packet if different · 14 minUses 500 g dry rigatoni · Water for a large pasta boiling pot, drained after cooking · Salt for pasta boiling water, to taste · The finished sauce being reheated

5. 5

   Step 5: Drain all the cooked rigatoni and return it to the pasta pot. Stir through the reserved one tablespoon cooking olive oil, then divide the oiled cooked pasta between four bowls.

   Uses All cooked rigatoni, drained · 2½ tbsp olive oil for cooking and pasta, divided

6. 6

   Step 6: While the ragù simmers, make the pesto using clean equipment. Roughly crumble all the pecorino (30 g) into half-centimetre pieces; use a ready-to-eat preserved anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry, and peel/crush only the pesto garlic clove (1). Put these three ingredients in a small food processor with all sixty millilitres pesto olive oil (60 ml) and the separate one tablespoon pesto water. Blitz to a rough paste; hold the basil for the next stage.

   Uses 30 g pecorino, crumbled into 0.5 cm pieces for pesto · 1 ready-to-eat preserved anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry · 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed for pesto · 60 ml olive oil for pesto · 1 tbsp water for pesto

7. 7

   Step 7: Wash and dry the basil leaves (50 g), tear them and add all fifty grams to the pesto base. Blitz only until just combined, retaining some texture rather than overblending.

   Uses All rough pesto base · 50 g basil leaves, torn for pesto

8. 8

   Step 8: Spoon the hot sausage ragù over the four bowls of oiled rigatoni, then top each with some of the finished pesto. Chop and sprinkle over any reserved washed fennel fronds if the bulb had them. Serve at once; the pecorino is already inside the pesto.

   Uses All portioned cooked pasta · All hot sauce · The finished pesto for topping · Only any fronds held from the fennel bulb, optional