300g of nice sausage meat, you can use a flavoured one if preferred
1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 sprig of fresh rosemary chopped, dried is ok if you don't have fresh
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes
300g dried penne
50g Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
extra virgin olive oil
Method:
In a heavy based saucepan, sweat the onion, carrot, celery, garlic for about 10 minutes over a low heat until just soft and translucent
Add the dried herbs and chilli and saute for a minute to release oils
Add the sausage meat and a splash of water and fry, breaking up the sausage into small bites and allow to brown and take on some colour being careful to not burn the onion and garlic
Add the tomato, parmesan cheese and and balsamic and allow to cook out for 20 mins stirring frequently whilst boiling the pasta in salted water
Drain the paste and season the sauce to taste
Toss the warm pasta and sauce together and stir really well coating the pasta well.
