Rigatoni with Fennel Sausage Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tbspolive oil, for sauce; plus extra as needed
• 6Italian fennel sausages, cut into 1.5cm slices
• 1onion, large, peeled and chopped
• 1fennel bulb, trimmed and roughly chopped; reserve fronds for garnish
• 1/2 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 clovegarlic, peeled and sliced; for sauce
• 2 tspfennel seeds, lightly toasted and gently crushed; half used in sauce, half added at the end
• 7 tbspred wine, cooked into the sauce
• 14 ozchopped tomatoes, canned
• 1/2 tspsuperfine sugar
• 1/3 cupblack olives, pitted, halved lengthwise
• 1 1/8 lbrigatoni
• 1/3 cuppecorino, roughly crumbled into 0.5cm pieces; for pesto
• 1anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry; for pesto
• 1 clovegarlic, peeled and crushed; for pesto
• 4 tbspolive oil, for pesto
• 2 cupsbasil leaves, torn; for pesto — add last to avoid over-blending

Method

1. 1

   Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large sauté pan that has a lid and fry the sausage slices over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, until browned all over. Lift them onto a plate.

2. 2

   Add the onion and the chopped fennel to the hot pan and fry for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and caramelized. Add a splash more oil if the pan dries out.

3. 3

   Stir in the smoked paprika, the sliced garlic and half the fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes more.

4. 4

   Pour the red wine in and boil it hard for 30 seconds, until it has reduced by half.

5. 5

   Add the tomatoes, the sugar, 100 ml of water, the browned sausage and ½ tsp of salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, taking the lid off after the first 10 so the sauce thickens and turns rich.

6. 6

   While the sauce simmers, make the pesto: blend the pecorino, the anchovy, the crushed garlic, the olive oil and 1 tbsp of water to a rough paste.

7. 7

   Add the basil and pulse only until it is just combined. Over-blended basil goes bitter and loses its color.

8. 8

   Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni for 12–14 minutes to al dente. Drain it, return it to the pot and stir 1 tbsp of olive oil through.

9. 9

   Take the sauce off the heat and stir the halved olives and the rest of the fennel seeds through. Adding the second half of the seeds now keeps their perfume, which 30 minutes of simmering would have cooked away.

10. 10

    Divide the pasta between bowls and spoon the ragù over. Top each with a spoonful of pesto and the reserved fennel fronds, and serve at once.

Nutrition per serving