Sausage and Fennel Tagliatelle with Crushed Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 Irish pork sausages, casing removed
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced, fronds saved for garnish
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 150g tagliatelle

To serve:

• Garlic baguette

METHOD

1. Heat a large, shallow casserole pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and then the sausage meat. Fry the sausage in the pan, breaking it up as it cooks with the back of a wooden spoon.
2. Once golden brown, add the garlic and fry for another minute. Add the fennel, and chopped tomato.
3. Simmer with a lid on for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in very salty water as per package instructions. Save around 200ml pasta water before draining.
5. Once the sauce is ready, add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce is a little dry, add some of the pasta water a little at a time, stirring until the sauce is nicely coating the pasta.
6. Serve with garlic bread and garnish the pasta with the fennel fronds and some freshly cracked black pepper.