Try this sausage and fennel pasta with a shot of vodka

During the first and second lockdowns, I hosted fun and interactive online live cookalongs on my Instagram page every week. It was to keep me from going insane, not cooking for people, and to try to give back a bit. I would post the ingredients and what was needed a few days in advance.

This turned out to be great craic and a fantastic way to keep people connected during lockdown. It also encouraged everyone to cook more. This recipe was one of my favourite creations during that time. It is a mixed and matched amalgamation of two famous pasta dishes: the tomato and vodka pasta of American fame and a classic fried sausage and fennel pasta.

Sounds bizarre to put vodka in it, but it really works and tastes fantastic. It’s a dish to fill a heart, so perfect when someone is down. It’s ideal on a miserable Monday too. It’s a relatively quick dish with very little washing up (important to note). Feel free to change up the pasta shapes or omit the sausage and double up on the fennel.

Erica Drum is a virtual chef, TV chef and cookery tutor.

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Erica Drum’s sausage and fennel rigatoni

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g sausage meat or sausages, Italian style is best here
1 tbsp olive oil
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds
300-400g uncooked rigatoni (or any pasta of choice)
1 x 400ml passata or a tin of chopped tomatoes
2 sprigs rosemary
150-200g mascarpone/cream cheese
1 shot of vodka or sambuca (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan and small bunch of parsley to garnish

Method

1 Place a large pan over a hot heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the sliced fennel for five minutes, until it is slightly soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and fry for a further two minutes. At this stage, I put on my pot of salty water and bring it to the boil to cook my pasta.

2 Add the sausage meat or sliced sausage (or a mix of both) to the fennel mixture. Fry for at least 10 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you stir. It will not really colour too much but will cook in this time.

3 Pour in the vodka, if using, and let the alcohol cook away for a minute. Season with some salt and pepper.

4 Pour in the passata and two sprigs of rosemary. I tie it up with an elastic band so it is easier to fish out later.

5 Let the passata bubble away for a few minutes and then add the mascarpone. Fold that through. Drain your pasta and add it straight into the pan. Stir well, taste for seasoning.

6 Serve with some garlic bread, a touch of parsley and lashings of Parmesan cheese.