Fennel And Sausage Ragu Over Pasta Food

SAUSAGE RAGù

Steps:

• With the tip of a small, sharp knife, slit open the sausage casings. Crumble the meat into a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. If the meat is not rendering enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan as it begins to cook, add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the meat is frying gently, not steaming. Sauté, breaking up any large chunks, until all the meat has turned opaque (do not let it brown), about 5 minutes.
• Add onion, carrot, celery and parsley and stir. Drizzle in more oil if the pan seems dry. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have melted in the fat and are beginning to caramelize, and the meat is toasty brown. This may take as long as 40 minutes, but be patient: It is essential to the final flavors.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or with the side of a spoon. Bring to a simmer, then add thyme and rosemary and let simmer, uncovered, until thickened and pan is almost dry, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Mix tomato paste with 1 cup hot water. Add to pan, reduce heat to very low, and continue cooking until the ragù is velvety and dark red, and the top glistens with oil, about 10 minutes more. Remove herb sprigs. Sprinkle black pepper over, stir and taste.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until just tender. Scoop out 2 cups cooking water, drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Quickly add a ladleful of ragù, a splash of cooking water, stir well and let cook 1 minute. Taste for doneness. Repeat, adding more cooking water or ragù, or both, until pasta is cooked through and seasoned to your liking.
• Pour hot pasta water into a large serving bowl to heat it. Pour out the water and pour in the pasta. Top with remaining ragù, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table, if desired.

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

RICK STEIN'S FENNEL AND SAUSAGE RAGù WITH TAGLIATELLE

Steps:

• For the pasta, combine the flour, eggs and salt in a food processor. Tip the mixture out on to a work surface and bring it together in a ball of dough. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes. Roll out the pasta into a couple of sheets about 2mm thick. Run them through a pasta machine, or use a knife to cut them into 5mm-wide ribbons. Hang them over the back of a chair or a broom handle to dry. Break up the sausage meat into a large ovenproof pan and add half the oil to start with. If the sausage meat is fatty, it might render quite a bit of fat and you won't need the rest of the oil; if it's quite dry, you will. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the onion, garlic, celery, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and rosemary, season, then cook for a further 15 minutes. Pour in the wine, cook for few minutes until reduced by half, then add the cream and stock. Put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for half an hour - take the lid off near the end if the sauce needs thickening up. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water for about 4 minutes until al dente. Drain, add to the ragù pan and mix. Serve in warmed bowls with freshly grated Parmesan.

HERBED SPICY SAUSAGE AND FENNEL BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard basil and stir in the chopped basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the fennel to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat slightly if necessary, until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the fennel to the bowl with the sausage.
• Cook the rigatoni in the water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, half of the fontina and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.

GOOD FENNELS PASTA

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. Salt water and add bucatini and cook to al dente.
• While water comes to boil and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage to the skillet and break up the sausage into small bits. Brown sausage all over then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, the garlic, fennel, onions and peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook, turning frequently, 7 to 8 minutes until tender but do not allow the fennel and onions to brown ¿ reduce heat a bit if they begin to. Add the wine or stock next and reduce 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the sausage. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is done.
• Drain the pasta very well and add to the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with 1/2 cup cheese, a couple of handfuls, then toss pasta with thick sauce to combine. Transfer pasta to a large shallow platter and cover with the pasta with basil leaves. Serve with extra cheese and pass crusty bread at the table to mop up the plates.

FENNEL AND SAUSAGE RAGU OVER PASTA

Steps:

• Trim stems from fennel bulb and cut away any brown spots from outer layer. Chop and reserve 2 tablespoons fronds and chop bulb. Saute fennel bulb and onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until beginning to brown. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink. Add wine and simmer until reduced by about half, then add marinara sauce and simmer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
• While sauce simmers, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds.

SAUSAGE, LEEK & FENNEL PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Squeeze the sausages from their skins into the pan and break up into small pieces. Cook over a medium-high heat for 8-10 mins until browned and crispy in places. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Boil a full kettle. Add the leeks to the pan and season. Cook over a low heat for 10-12 mins until softened and just starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, fill a large pan with the boiled water and some salt, and cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving 150ml of the cooking water.
• Add the garlic and fennel seeds to the leeks and cook for 2 mins. Stir through the mustard and sausages, then pour in 100ml of the pasta water and let it bubble for 1 min. Tip in the pasta, sprinkle over the lemon zest and toss everything together, adding a little more pasta water if needed. Divide between plates and top with Parmesan and black pepper before serving.

SAUSAGE RAGU

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 7 mins. Add the garlic, chilli and rosemary, and cook for 1 min more. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar, and simmer for 20 mins.
• Heat the remaining oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins and fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 mins until golden. Add to the sauce with the milk and lemon zest, then simmer for a further 5 mins. To freeze, leave to cool completely and transfer to large freezerproof bags.
• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain and toss with the sauce. Scatter over the parmesan and parsley leaves to serve.

FENNEL AND SAUSAGE RAGù OVER PASTA

Steps:

• Trim stems from fennel bulb and cut away any brown spots from outer layer. Chop and reserve 2 tablespoons fronds and chop bulb. Sauté fennel bulb and onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until beginning to brown. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink. Add wine and simmer until reduced by about half, then add marinara sauce and simmer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
• While sauce simmers, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds.