Pasta Shells with Sausage and Greens

This firm winter favourite is typically (and happily) made with sausage and broccoli. Usually, there's orecchiette (and a plan to home make some was thwarted by time).

I've learned food tricks though and whilst the sausage stayed..I went green with a truck load (technical term) of parsley and pasta shells, conchiglie rigate (to be precise). Rigate means ridged and otherwise known as a sauce trap.

Other greens would be fine.  Cavalo nero, Kale, spinach, Turnip tops or chard. If it's bitter, green and leafy then we can absolutely consider it fair game.

Ingredients (2):

Meat:

4 sausages, skinned and crumbled into little balls (the sausage meat works perfectly here). Between 250 and 300g of sausage.

1/2 TBSP olive oil

Aromats:

1/2 tsp lightly crushed fennel seed

1/2 tsp Arbol chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

Cheese:

1/4 cup, grated pecorino (or pecorino and parmesan mixed

2 tsp butter (hear me out)

Greens:

200g of blanched broccoli (small florets simmered for 1.5 minutes)

Or, 1/2 a cup of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Or, 150g fresh chard, kale, cavalo nero or spinach leaves

Pasta:

200g dried  pata shells or orecchiette, cooked to 'al dente' or 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.

Method:

Add olive oil to a pan and brown the sausage (around 5 minutes medium to low heat)

Add fennel and chilli, continue to cook for 5 minutes on a low heat (we want sticky).

Add garlic, salt and pepper.

Then your green of choice and stir.

Remove from the heat, add pasta and 1/3 cup of pasta water, stir.

Once the pan feels cool, tip in the cheese and butter, whisking enthusiastically (I call it the emulsify trick). 

A self congratulatory pat on the back is valid when the cheese emulsifies. 

Another brilliantly classic pasta dish from Loïc (two major fans of Italian food here):

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe