Rigatoni with Sausage & Rosemary

Although sausage and rosemary sounds like a hearty and robust pasta sauce, this version is actually quite light and fresh due to the addition of the lemon zest. If you would prefer a heartier version omit the lemon zest and use red wine instead of the white. Either way both versions equal a delicious meal!

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

1lb good quality sausages of your choice, skins removed

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds

500ml approx. passata*{or if you prefer you can use chopped tomatoes}

100ml white wine

1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh lemon thyme

1 tsp sugar

Salt & pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

400g rigatoni

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Heat the oil in a pan then break up the sausage meat into small pieces and add to the pan and cook for approximately 8 minutes until they resemble delicious golden brown nuggets. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes or so until softened. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for another minute before adding the passata, wine, rosemary, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer gently for 30 minutes until reduced slightly.

Cook the rigatoni in boiling, salted water until al dente. Add the lemon zest to the sauce for the last 5 minutes or so of cooking then taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Drain the pasta once it is ready, reserving a few of tablespoons of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well so that it’s all coated. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over some fresh Parmesan shavings.

*I find jars of passata vary in size so for the recipe although I suggest 500ml, just use whatever size of jar you have. The ones I buy come in 670ml so I don't bother keeping the extra 170ml – it would no doubt just get forgotten about, so just add the whole jar – it's a pasta sauce so there is definitely no need to be exact about the quantities of ingredients!