If you’ve never tried chestnuts in a pasta dish, this is a great opportunity to discover new flavours. The combination of ingredients creates a unique flavour that’s well worth trying. This recipe combines the savoury taste of Italian sausage with the unique sweet flavour of chestnuts. The result is a rich, hearty dish that’s sure to satisfy your taste buds.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 450g lincolnshire sausage, pressed meat removed
- 200g tinned chestnuts, very roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 glass of full-bodied red wine
- 500g packet of passata
- 500g large pasta shells or pappardelle
- small packet flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- parmesan or grana padano, to serve
Method of preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds. Cook until the onion is soft.
Stir in the chopped chestnuts and cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.
Stir in the passata and return the sausage to the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a large pan of boiling salted water. Drain well.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Stir in the chopped parsley.
