Pasta RAGU - Jamie Oliver - enough for 4 people
4 spring onions
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1–2 fresh red chillies or 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 x 6-pack of good-quality pork sausages (approx 400g), skins removed
1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
500g dried fusilli
4 cloves of garlic
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
a few sprigs of Greek basil, or
regular basil
Trim the spring onions, carrot and celery. Roughly chop all the vegetables, then blitz in the food processor with the chillies (stalks removed). Add the sausages, 1 heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Keep pulsing until well mixed, then form lots of little balls of the mixture - something like 20 balls.
Heat a large frying pan with a couple of lugs of olive oil, then carefully add the pork balls. Fry the balls until browned, then turn over. Keep checking on them, browning on all sides. Once browned, break the balls up into smaller bits, browning them some more.
Put a large deep saucepan on to boil. Add the fusilli with some salt and cook according to packet instructions.
While making the pasta, crush 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the sausage mixture and stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Fry till the vinegar is all absorbed, then add the tinned tomatoes. Add a little of the starchy cooking water from the pasta to loosen if needed.
Drain the pasta, reserving about a wineglass worth of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan of sauce and give it a gentle stir, adding enough of the cooking water to bring it to a silky consistency. Taste, correct the seasoning, then tip into a large serving bowl and take straight to the table with the rest of the Parmesan for grating over. Scatter over a few torn basil leaves. Serve with a large salad.