Sausage and Peppers Parpadelle

Watching UK Masterchef finals when they went to Italy and were taught by Mamma Agata the Italian Sausage Parpadelle sounded amazing and I knew it would be on the menu the next night! (And many nights since!)

At such short notice in deepest west Sussex I was not able to get Italian Sausages, but Waitrose Chorizo Sausages (as in the sausages flavoured with chorizo…not an actual chorizo – if you get what I mean!) were flavoursome enough to last the cooking and remain tasty (have tried with Sainsbury’s roasted onion ones – which were not!)

So I made the fresh pasta (previous blog) and while it rested in the fridge – knocked up the sauce!
I’m afraid I don’t really measure things…but I will try to give as close guesses as possible!

3 tsp oil
1 tbs butter
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion/ 1-2 shallots
6 Italian sausages (from delicatessen) or Waitrose Chorizo flavour sausages
1 red pepper
1 yellow (or orange) pepper
500g cherry tomatoes sliced in half
4-5 sliced basil leaves
1 handful grated parmesan and more for each plate

Fry the onion and garlic in 1tsp oil and butter and when soft add the sausages.  Colour on all sides

In a separate pan, fry the peppers in the remainder of oil until slightly soft.

When the peppers are soft add to the pan with sausages and add the tomatoes.

Cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.

When done, chop the sausages (I used food scissors and kept them chunky); add the basil, parmesan and a little pepper and salt to taste.

Boil pasta in another bowl when all is ready, mix and plate (or serve pasta and sauce on top) grate a little more parmesan on top and serve.

AMAZING!!!  Seriously AMAZING – no other words!

Easy Fresh Pasta Recipe

I would suggest 100g of flour for each adult serving.

Grade 00 Fine Pasta Flour
Eggs

1 egg per every 100g of flour.

I serve 3 greedy kids and 2 adults, 400g flour and 4 eggs.
Sieve the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle for your eggs.  Use a fork to mix the eggs and slowly work in the flour from the outside.

Start to use your hand to mix and knead in the flour and eventually you will get a ball.  From this point knead for 5-10 minutes until the skin is smooth.  Next time I make this I think I will use the stand mixer with a dough hook as it is harder than kneading bread dough!  (having said that I still haven’t used the dough hook …maybe next time!)

Wrap well in clingfilm/a food bag and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (it is actually softer after a rest).
I have rolled out the pasta by hand and in a machine. 

If using a pasta machine, take a ball the size of a golf ball, flatten to a rectangle – dusting with more flour and roll through the largest setting 6 times then roll on each smaller size once until at your desired size (I like 5 or 6) and cut or pass through the fettuccini cutter (if attached to your machine), give a light dusting of flour again to stop it all sticking together.

If rolling by hand allow about 30 minutes (maybe this would speed up but on my first attempt which was 300g recipe it took this long and is really hard work…hence pinching my mum’s pasta machine!!)!

Take a golfball size piece again and on a surface dusted in flour roll into a rectangle – as thin as you can get! 
Fold over lengthways and slice with a knife – about 1 cm apart for parpadelle.

Tah dah lovely pasta!

I use my largest saucepan for boiling in - so there is lots of room for the pasta and it does not stick together.
It does not take long to boil.  This Parpadelle took 3-5 minutes, the thinner fettuccini took only a minute or so - do keep testing it as I think cooked pasta is a personal preferance.

I cannot tell you how much better than dried past this is but BELIEVE me it is! 

It is also so easy, I will still buy the dried stuff for making a very quick dinner for the kids – or a mac-and-cheese, but generally I think I will try to be making fresh from now on!

I made this with the fabulous looking Italian sausage sauce we saw on the UK masterchef finals in Italy...I will blog the recipe I thought they used.