Serves 4
400g Luganica sausage
2 small red onions
45ml (3 tbs) olive oil
2-3 tbs fresh very fi nely
chopped rosemary
2-3 bay leaves
2g dried red chillies, fi nely
chopped
800-900g plum tomato fillets
salt and ground black pepper
to taste
400g small penne
100ml (8 tbs) double cream
160g Parmigiano Reggiano
cheese
Ancient Latin texts refer to the region
of Lucania – modern-day Basilicata and
Campania. Today Luganica is usually from
Lombardia, Trento or Veneto. It’s a fresh pork
sausage which is sweet, long, thin and coiled.
If your Italian deli/butcher doesn’t stock it,
ask for a plain pork sausage without fennel,
strong spices, rusk or bread content. Try this
hearty pasta dish with a glass of red Barbera
‘Briccotondo’ from Fontanafredda.
Put on a pot of water to boil.
Remove the sausage casing and crumble the meat into
a bowl.
Finely chop the onions and brown them in a pan with
hot olive oil. Add the meat, rosemary, bay leaves and
chillies. (The secret here is how fi nely you chop the
rosemary – its fl avour should infuse the sauce.) Cook for
5-10 minutes.
Drain and roughly chop the tomatoes, keeping a little
juice for later. Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring the
sauce to the boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Check for taste
and season with salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta until it’s al dente. Drain.
Stir the cream and a little tomato juice into the sauce,
and add half the grated cheese. Mix through the cooked
pasta and serve with freshly ground black pepper and
more grated cheese.
