Pasta With Sausage, Caramelised Onion, Petit Pois, Fennel Seed and Pecorino Sardo

This is a quick dinner idea with lots of tasty, punchy flavours and textures. The pecorino sardo (a hard sheep milk cheese from Sardinia) adds a salty taste which contrasts well with the sweetness of the petit pois and caramelised onion.

This is really easy and will be ready in less than 30 minutes. This would also be good with a bit of fresh chilli thrown in but I need to refrain sometimes from adding chilli to everything!

ingredients

serves 2-3

4 good quality pork sausages
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tbs olive oil
100g petit pois
1 tbs chopped sage leaves
1 tbs fennel seeds
basil leaves to garnish

200-250g pasta (tagliatelle or linguine work well with this recipe)
pecorino sardo (parmesan would work just as well as a substitute)
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1:

Remove skins from sausages and break into small pieces before frying off in the olive oil with the chopped sage.

Step 2:

When sausages are browned add onions and continue to fry until they are caramelised

Step 3:

Add fennel seeds and crushed garlic cloves - cook for a few minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes.

Step 4:

Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce is thickened up and the sausage pieces cooked through.

Step 5:

With 10 minutes to go cook the pasta according to packet instructions

Step 6:

2 minutes before the end throw in the petit pois and check for seasoning 

Step 7:

Drain pasta and mix in with the sauce - top with the grated/shaved pecorino sardo (or parmesan)

Step 8:

I hope you enjoy - if you like this recipe please vote for it on the Instructables Pasta Contest :)

You can also check out my other recipes on http://chipbuttiesandnoodlesoup.blogspot.co.uk/