Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti

This Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti is such an indulgent and comforting dish. It is on the table in less than 20 mins and is a joy to eat. I have been making more effort to visit local delis to pick up fresh and good quality produce. It is so easy to get stuck in the trap of trying to get everything from the one, large supermarket that sometimes we forget to take advantage of all the wonderful local stores out there. I am fortunate to live in central Berlin where there is no shortage of local delis and specialised supermarkets.

When I first decided to make this dish for dinner one night I went down to Centro Italia, an Italian supermarket that stocks pastas, wine and fresh meat and cheese. While I find this place a little disappointing in its selection of food it is good if you want to stock up your cupboards with good quality tins of tomatoes and dried pastas. But it was due to their lack of having any Salsiccia in store (I mean come on – what kind of Italian supermarket doesn’t have the classic Salsiccia..?) that I ended up at Mitte Meer. This is one of my favourite stores that sells a selection of Mediterranean meats, cheese, hams, olives, wine etc. They also have a fantastic fresh fish deli and it is where I buy the ink for a Squid Ink Risotto. At Mitte Meer there is no shortage of good quality Italian sausages!

I buy just standard Italian sausages and season them myself with a few chilli flakes and paprika. I split the sausages and take out all the meat and then roll into little balls. I also like to buy sun-dried tomatoes out of a jar with good quality olive oil. I then add a good dollop of double cream and some grated parmesan to give the dish that silky, indulgent feel to it.

Italian Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti

 

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Prep time

7 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

19 mins

 

Serves: serves 2

Ingredients

• 25g grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 4 good quality Italian sausages
• Handful of sun-dried tomatoes (drained from a jar) (roughly sliced in half)
• Spaghetti (two servings)
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp paprika
• Small bunch fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• Salt/ Black Pepper
• Juice of half a lemon
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Make a small slit in each of the sausages and then tear the skins off leaving you with just the sausage meat. Add all the meat to a bowl with the chilli flakes and paprika and season with a little salt and pepper. Using your hands mix the sausage meat well so it is formed into one big ball. Take about 1 large heaped tsp of mixture and roll into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
2. Start to put the spaghetti into boil and cook according to packet instruction.
3. Heat a dash of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan. Once hot add the sausage balls and cook on each side until just golden. Once golden add the sun-dried tomatoes and continue to cook until the sausages are cooked through.
4. Once the sausages are cooked add the cream and parmesan to the pan and mix well with the meat and tomatoes. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and then pour in the lemon juice. Stir regularly and cook on a low heat until the spaghetti is cooked.
5. Drain the spaghetti and add to the frying pan with the sauce. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce so that it is well covered with all the juices and ingredients.
6. Take the pan off the heat and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh parsley and serve right away.

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