Pork, fennel and chilli pasta sauce

Sauces, conserves & preserves

Pork, fennel and chilli pasta sauce

Name: Pork, fennel and chilli pasta sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4

Main Serves 4 1h 50 min

This pasta dish takes a while to simmer to its full richness, but requires no attention but the occasional stir. Minced beef is good for it, but minced pork is better – it lightens things up, which allows other flavours to develop. If you don't have any mince, squeeze out the inside of some Italian-style sausages. This goes well with long flat ribbons of linguine or fettucine, but any pasta will do.

Ingredients

400-500g pork mince
1 tsp fennel seeds
olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 dried chillies, crumbled (or use chilli flakes)
2 bay leaves
200ml red wine
2 tins chopped tomatoes
pinch nutmeg, grated
50g Parmesan
200ml double cream or crème fraîche

Method

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 1h 45 min

Step 1
Mix the minced pork with the fennel seeds, season well, and fry in a flameproof casserole dish in olive oil, keeping it on the move, for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add the onion, garlic, chilli, and bay leaves, and fry gently for half an hour. Turn up the heat and add a large glass of red wine. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes.
Step 3
Bring to the boil, allow some of the liquid to evaporate, then put on a lid and simmer for an hour.
Step 4
Grate in some nutmeg, a handful of Parmesan and the cream or crème fraîche. Stir until everything is incorporated and check the seasoning. Serve with pasta and a green salad.