PORK & CRESS SAUSAGE PASTA WITH FENNEL & LEMON

SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 30 MINUTES

I LOVE THE TIME OF YEAR for the Cuisine Artisan Awards as there is always such a range of interesting products. The beauty of our finalists is that they are thoughtfully made and delicious; this means they are perfect just as they are, but great if you want to do a little more with them. I have kept these recipes simple, so as not to detract from the original flavours, and just give you a few ideas for incorporating these products in your cooking.

We really loved the bite of peppery watercress incorporated into the classic Beard Brothers pork sausage, which cuts through the richness of the pork. I’ve taken this one step further adding more fresh leaves to this flavoursome pasta dish. Orecchiette is perfect for holding the minced sausage, but any other pasta will taste as good.

2 tablespoons olive oil

500g Beard Brothers Pork & Cress Sausages 2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced, 2 tablespoons

chopped fronds reserved zest and juice of 1 lemon 350g-400g orecchiette pasta

3 cups loosely packed watercress leaves, torn 2 tablespoons pinenuts, toasted (optional) parmesan, to serve (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt well.

Slice the sausages in half and remove and discard the casings. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and brown the sausages for about 10 minutes, crumbling to a mince-like texture as you do, then set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and add the garlic, onion, fennel, lemon zest and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. If you have bits of sausage stuck to the bottom of the pan, you can add a splash of water or white wine and scrape up the bits, stirring them into the vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has started colouring up a bit, then add the sausage back and cook for a couple more minutes to heat through.