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Chunky sausage and aubergine pasta

publication date: Jan 28, 2009
 | 
author/source: Fiona Beckett
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Looking for something a bit different by way of a pasta sauce? Try this substantial, filling pasta dish that makes perfect cold weather eating. If you have an Italian deli nearby try and use authentic Italian sausages for it.

Serves 3-4
Time: 30 minutes
Cost: about £1.75-£2 a head

350g fresh Italian sausages or other plain pork sausages with a high meat content (over 85%)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium aubergine (about 250-300g) cut into cubes
1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped
1 medium red pepper (about 150g), de-seeded and cut into roughly 2 cm squares
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
1 level tsp dried oregano or Herbes de Provence
1 large glass (175ml) full bodied fruity red wine
175ml chicken or light vegetable  stock made with 1/2 a stock cube or a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder
350g dried rigatoni or penne pasta
3 heaped tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slit the sausage skins with a sharp knife, peel off the skin and chop the sausage meat roughly. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil In a large frying pan or wok and brown the sausagemeat breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and  stir fry the aubergine for 3-4 minutes till it starts to brown. Add the remaining oil and chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes then add the red pepper and garlic and fry for another minute or two. Return the sausagemeat to the pan, stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute then add the oregano and red wine. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half then add the stock, stir, and leave over a low heat to simmer while you cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack. When the pasta is just cooked spoon off a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water into the sauce then drain it thoroughly. Tip the pasta into the sauce along with 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Mix well together and leave for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to amalgamate. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the pasta and sauce into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.







 

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