Cookbook Challenge: Penne with Sausage Ragu

Oh Jamie, have you ever steered me wrong? I don't think I've found a recipe yet that I didn't immediately love. For example, your roast chicken is so simple and delicious that it's become a firm favorite for lazy Sunday dinners. Despite this fervent appreciation of your work, I have to admit that I have rarely opened this book since its purchase - even though I watched most of the television episodes that this book is based on. Baffling, I know. 

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fast

By Jamie Oliver

Michael Joseph Publishing, 2010. 

This recipe (originally named Pregnant Jools's Pasta after his wife) has all the hallmarks of an excellent Jamie Oliver option - simple ingredients, quick prep and cook time, and a very satisfying result with minimal effort. This particular book tends to offer up entire meals (i.e. side dishes and desserts alongside a main course) but we only made the pasta dish in an effort to keep things on the lighter side. Or as light as they can be where pasta is involved! I followed the recipe and used penne but this could easily be made with whatever small pasta you had on hand like farfalle, rigatoni or fusilli. Jamie's recipe includes 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds but I've left them out since I didn't have them on hand. I also completely forgot to add the chilies so I sprinkled in some dried red chili flakes and was very pleased with the result (thank goodness!). 

The taste of the final dish will obviously revolve around the type of sausage you choose. Any favorites will work nicely although it is important to keep in mind that the addition of the balsamic vinegar will have a big impact on the final taste. Therefore, I chose a simple pork and herb sausage this time although I think pork and leek or even caramelized onion sausages would also be tasty. I'm a huge fan of balsamic vinegar (seriously, ask my friends. I'd probably drink it if it were socially acceptable...) so I loved the way it really comes through in the final dish. However, if you are less keen on it, I'd go ahead and add only half the suggested amount. I think this recipe is a great option for a midweek meal as the sausages basically do all the work as far as bringing in the seasonings. A big part of Jamie's 30 Minute Meals is the use of a food processor. However, since I wasn't rushing, I thought I'd skip that part and it still only takes a few minutes to get everything prepped. I removed my sausages from their casings and definitely recommend it so that they can break up nicely in the pan. 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

Olive oil
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped (or 1-2 tsp dried chili flakes)
6 good quality sausages, casings removed
1 tsp dried oregano
500g dried penne
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
Salt and Pepper
A handful of fresh basil
Grated parmesan

Method: 

Put a large pot of water on to boil while you chop the other ingredients so that it's ready for the penne.

In a large pan over a medium heat, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the spring onions, carrot and celery. Sauté until the vegetables have started to soften. Add in the sausages and use a wooden spoon to break them up as they cook. When the sausages have browned and are nicely broken up into smaller pieces (they should resemble the beef mince in a traditional bolognese), add the oregano and garlic and continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant.

When the water has boiled, add a liberal amount of salt and the penne. Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar and chopped tomatoes to the sausage mix and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and then drain and return to the pot. Make sure to reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid so that you can loosen the sauce if needed.

Add the sausage ragu to the pasta pot and stir to incorporate everything. Add some of the cooking water if needed. Serve with chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Sausage, Spinach and Chickpea Stew

In news that will surprise no one, life is pretty hectic at the minute with school and work so blogging hasn't really been a priority. However, spring has finally sprung and I'm getting excited about cooking lots of tasty treats so hopefully I'll be able to share a few of those with you all along the way. I might have to cut down on the step by step photos for recipes but I'll try to include at least one picture of the finished product for each post.

Finished product!

While this recipe is not the most spring oriented, it does make for a quick and tasty weekday dinner. However, the herbs add a much needed dash of green and, let's be honest, spring in Britain requires holding on to a few comfort dishes to warm you up. I made this for my flatmate and her friend and it was a hit - easy to make while chatting, super fast and delicious. Plus, add it a slightly sad attempt to artfully place the toast and you have a dinner party dish. I love this recipe because it works for most of the year and is pretty cheap (so perfect for those midweek meals!). This time, I doubled the recipe so I'd have plenty leftover to take to work for my lunches. Of course, I did this before remembering that the current tube strike means I'll be working from home today and tomorrow! Oops. Oh well, still delicious! If you'd like to skip the bread, this could be good with couscous or rice as well. You just want something that will let you soak up all that saucy goodness. Finally, try and get sausages with a high percentage of meat. I went with the Waitrose pork and leek sausages because they were on sale and, at 75% meat, they were perfect. 

Delicious and Prosecco... can't complain! 

I stayed pretty true to the recipe on Real Simple but added parmesan cheese to the final product. This is optional but, if you're like me, you probably have some in the fridge already! Sprinkle a bit of the leftover herbs on top and you're good to go!

Recipe via www.realsimple.com

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 sausages, casings removed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro/corriander, chopped
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
500g spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated
Crusty bread to serve

Method: 

In a large pan with high sides, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook until softened and then add the sausages. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausages as they brown so that they look more like mince than sausages. Once browned, add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two, stirring continuously so the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. If necessary, lower the heat to medium-low.

Next, stir in the herbs and continue to cook for another minute. When the herbs have been incorporated, add the stock and chickpeas. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.

Finally, add the spinach and simmer for ten minutes until wilted and well mixed. Serve with toasted crusty bread and enjoy!