Chunky Pasta with Sausage, Olives & Tomatoes

, from Issue #65. March, 2016
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Chunky Pasta with Sausage, Olives & Tomatoes

Here’s a really great mid-week meal. The sauce can be made in advance and also freezes well. 

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

250 grams best-quality chorizo sausages
3 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped shallot

1 medium-hot red chilli, halved, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 × 400 gram cans chopped tomatoes
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
½ cup black olives, chopped (I use Crespo pitted Moroccan olives)
400 grams pasta tubes or pipes 

METHOD

Snip skin on sausages, then peel off skin and chop the flesh roughly. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a medium frying pan over high heat, add sausage meat. Cook for 5 minutes, without stirring, until lightly golden. Take out sausage meat. Drain off any fat in pan and wipe with paper towels.

Put remaining oil in a medium saucepan, set over a low heat and add shallot and chilli. Cook very gently for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook a few minutes more, stirring occasionally, until garlic turns a pale biscuit colour. Carefully pour in tomatoes. Rinse cans with water and add tomato water to sauce.

Season sauce with ¼ teaspoon salt and add tomato concentrate. Add sausage meat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil, mashing the sausages a little, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, or until sauce is nice and pulpy. Add olives and turn off the heat.