CST @ HOME #20

Serves 8 (generously)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

12 good quality, plain pork sausages (800g)
4 small onions (400g), finely diced
2 red peppers, diced
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 flat tbsp dried chilli flakes
2 tbsp fennel seeds
5 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary, leaves finely chopped
150ml balsamic vinegar
1 chicken stock cube
4 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tomato tins worth of water
Maldon salt

Heat a large heavy based saucepan with a little vegetable oil. Take the skins off the sausages by slitting down the length of the sausage and peeling it away.

Fry the sausages in 2 batches, breaking them up as much as you can with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Fry until coloured slightly then strain into a colander to let the excess fat drip away.

Return the same pan to the heat, add some olive oil and fry the onions with the fennel seeds, gently until well softened and starting to colour.

Add 2 flat tsp of maldon salt and stir through. Add the peppers, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and chilli flakes and cook gently for a further 5 minutes to cook the garlic.

Add the sausage meat back to the pan and pour in the balsamic vinegar, turn up the heat and cook until the vinegar reduces.

Add the tomatoes and water and stir through the stock cube.

Bring up to the boil then transfer to the oven 130* fan. Cook with the lid on for 3 hours, stirring every hour. Then take the lid off slightly, leave it slightly ajar and cook for a further hour or until reduced, deep and rich.

Test the seasoning.Serve with a tube pasta, rigatoni is ideal, grated Parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and shredded basil.