Pasta with pesto, sausage and cherry tomatoes

My partner Dan and I ate this at a little roadside restaurant near Noto in Sicily. It was the only pasta on the menu – and we instantly knew why. It was insanely delicious and so memorable that I can still taste it when I think about it. The basil was crushed into a pesto with a hint of garlic, and the cherry tomatoes were roasted so they were just bursting but still remained fresh. The combination of the browned, fatty sausage meat, fresh basil and umami tomatoes was just perfect. I think you’ll also be transported to the Italian countryside when you eat this. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

• 4 cups (45g) packed basil leaves (about 2 bunches)

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• ¼ cup (50g) finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

• 75ml extra virgin olive oil

• 500g cherry tomatoes

• salt and black pepper

• 400g Italian sausages (fennel and garlic are my favourites)

• 500g dried casarecce, strozzapreti or fusilli lunghi (pictured)

Method

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 220C fan-forced (240C conventional) and bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, in a small food processor or blender, combine the basil leaves, garlic clove, parmesan and ¼ cup (60ml) of the olive oil and blend until smooth. Set aside.

2. Step 2

   Place tomatoes in a small roasting tin and toss with the remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast for 10-15 minutes until they’re bursting and their skins are beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Step 3

   Remove the meat from the sausage casings and place it in a large saucepan set over high heat, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula. Cook for about 10 minutes until browned. If your sausage meat is extra fatty, you can pour off and discard some of the fat, if you prefer.

4. Step 4

   While the sausage meat browns, cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, using the timing suggested on the packet as a guide. Reserve about 1 cup (250ml) of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

5. Step 5

   Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the cooked sausage meat, along with the basil pesto and roasted tomatoes, and toss and cook together, still over a high heat, for about a minute. Add some of the pasta water, little by little, to make everything glossy and ensure the pasta is well-coated. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide the pasta among the bowls, sprinkle with extra parmesan and black pepper, and serve.