Sausage and Zucchini Pasta
WITH FENNEL AND BASIL
Bless my sweet angel of a grandma and her passion for gardening… but at a certain point every summer, all I get to eat is fucking zucchini. Soups, stews, patties, stir-fries, pies. If you can name it, she’s hidden zucchini in it. So, this sausage and zucchini pasta is a love/hate ode to my gran-gran’s garden. It features my favourite squiggly pasta shape, a silky cream sauce, velvety zucchini, and savory pieces of Juicy Marbles sausage. I like to throw in fennel seeds for anise-y aroma (not that!!), and fresh basil leaves as a reminder that everything nice ends. I’m talking about summer, of course.
Ingredients
- 200 g pasta (rigattoni, casarecce or orecchiette)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 Bangers (½ of the pack)
- 1 shallot (finely diced)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 smaller zucchini (sliced into 1cm/0.4 inch thick)
- ½ tsp fennel seeds (crushed)
- ½ smoked chili flakes
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 200 ml plant-based cooking cream
- 120 ml reserved pasta water
- A bunch of basil leaves
- Juice ½ lemon
- Zest of ½ lemon
SERVES 2 / TAKES 20 MINUTES
preparation
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta according to the packaging instructions.
- Remove the Bangers from the casing.
- Add olive oil to a non-stick frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add the Bangers and break them apart using a wooden spoon. Fry for 4-5 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, add more olive oil, shallots, garlic, fennel seeds, and chili flakes. Fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add sliced zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add in the fried sausage, cooking cream, and reserved pasta water. Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Add in the cooked pasta, basil leaves, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Serve immediately with more fresh basil and lemon zest.