Pork & Fennel Sausage Orecchiette

Posted on 1 June, 2021

Had enough mince? Think outside the square (and think sausage) with this recipe for Pork & Fennel Sausage Orecchiette.

This recipe for Pork & Fennel Sausage Orecchiette is the perfect comfort food—and it’s a great solution for when you can’t find mince in your local supermarket, but you CAN find sausages.

I like to support local, so I use Pialligo Estate’s Pork, Fennel and Chilli Sausages—the addition of chilli gives the dish a kick that’s perfect for a cool autumn night. If you’re just using plain old Pork and Fennel, add 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried chilli for the same effect.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
• 500g Pialligo Estate Pork, Fennel and Chilli Sausages
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 400g can whole peeled Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 500g orecchiette pasta
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leafed parsley
• best extra virgin olive oil to serve
• finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to serve

Method

Warm the oil over moderate heat in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Gently sauté garlic, chilli and rosemary until fragrant but not browned.

Remove the skins from the sausages, crumble the meat then add to the pan and fry until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer for five minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted water until al dente (use the cooking times on the packet as a guide). Drain the pasta, setting aside a little of the cooking liquid (about 3 tablespoons), and reserve.

Stir the lemon juice in to the sausage mixture, then stir in the cream and chopped parsley. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Toss together the pasta, the reserved cooking liquid and the sausage sauce.

Serve on heated plates with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and top with mountains of finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano.

 Buon Appetito!