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Thursday, June 2, 2011

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!


19 comments:

  1. Sounds delish!! I love the big rigatoni noodles!

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  2. Yum!! I've been thinking about this dish, dfinately going to be making this soon!! xxx

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  3. Ooh I love the addition of lemon to this dish!

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  4. So pretty, and sounds so delicious! I love that you used white wine and lemon zest!

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  5. Thanks everyone!

    I really love this pasta dish (infact my husband who isn't a huge fan of tomato pastas said this is his favourite pasta of all time!!). I love how the lemon & white wine turn it from being a robust winter warmer to a lighter version, ideal for spring when the weather is so unpredictable! Thanks again everyone : )

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  6. Yum! Sounds so good and the lemon zest is a genius idea! Thanks for sharing :)

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  7. Pure niceness, that looks well nice.

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  8. Breathtaking... Such a beautiful bowl of pasta, just right up my alley! Great recipe!

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  9. Ahh, fennel seed, pork and lemon. My mouth is watering!

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  10. Saw a link to your blog from UKFBA (which I recently joined). Very good time to visit, I find an Italian recipe which looks delicious. Although will definitely return to take a look at the cake recipes too. :)

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  11. I love pasta in any form! This looks so satisfying! : )

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  12. I have huge pot of rosemary right now. So happy to have a yummy looking recipe to use it in. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Thank you Luigi, Anne & Emily! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do : )

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  14. Terrific flavors with the fennel and lemon together. Really fresh. Love the rigatoni, such a meaty pasta! This is lovely, thank!

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  15. Thanks so much for the lovely comment Cheryl & Adam! Glad you like : )

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  16. Mmmmm...this looks like one fabulous pasta!!!! Love the rosemary and sausage~

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