Rigatoni with silverbeet & sausage

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

500g Italian-style coarse pork sausages, skins removed

1 small brown onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

750g silverbeet, stalks removed, leaves roughly chopped

1 x 400g can of Italian tomatoes, crushed 500g dried rigatoni sea salt and freshly ground pepper finely grated parmesan, to serve

1 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat, then add the sausages and cook, breaking up the meat into small chunks as you go, until it is a deep golden brown, around 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and reduce the heat to medium.

2 Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 1–2 minutes to soften, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute or so, taking care not to let them brown. Add the silverbeet (in batches if necessary) and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it has collapsed.

3 Return the sausage meat to the pan, along with the tomatoes. Stir to combine, then let it simmer gently, covered, for 30–40 minutes – the water from the greens and the fat from the meat will emulsify into the sauce as it cooks.

4 When the sauce is about 15 minutes away from being ready, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until it is al dente. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly into the frying pan, leaving a little of the cooking water clinging to it. Stir the pasta and sauce over low heat for a minute or so to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then divide between four pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan.

Variation

Any short pasta works well here – the robustness of orecchiette is particularly pleasing with the sausage.