Country Sausage, Peas And Tomatoes | Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Italian-style sausages
- 200 ml slock, such as chicken, baef of vegetable
- 500 g dried pasta, such as ridged penne or tubetti
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 kg fresh peas, shelled, or 250g frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2OOg cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra, to serve
Instructions
- #This version of a traditional country recipe uses Italian sausages rather than pancetta as its base. The contrast in flavour and texture of the meaty coarse sausage, the sweetness of the peas and colourful cherry tomatoes works very well.# Cover the base of a frying pan with the oil, then set over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook over low heat, turning until they are brown all over. Pour off the excess fat and reserve. Cut the sausages in half, scrape out the meat and discard the skins. Put the sausage meat back in the pan and add a little stock to deglaze, Simmer for a few minutes, stirring the resulting pan juices into the sausage meat. The whole process will take about 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, or according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and set aside.
- Pour a little of the reserved sausage fat Into a clean frying pan and heat through. Add the onion and cook over gentle heat until soft. Add the peas, icing sugar, parsley and enough stock to cover the ingredients. Cover with a lid and cook until the peas are tender. If you are using frozen peas, add them with the onions and 100 ml stock then heat through.
- Stir the peas into the sausage meat and let simmer for 5 minutes. When ready to serve, increase the heat, add the tomatoes and cook quickly until the edges start to wilt. Add the sauce to the pasta, stir in the Parmesan and mix well. Serve with extra cheese. #Variation# Instead of the peas, stir in cooked fagioli or other beans after cooking the onion. Add a few chopped tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are thick and creamy. Proceed as in the main recipe.