Chorizo and red wine pasta sauce

I’ve always loved a bit of pasta. It can be an easy but satisfying option on a cold winters day or a bright summers evening, whether it be for a quick dinner for one or entertaining guests, you can impress with a good, homely bowl of fussili covered in an alluring, rosy red tomato sauce with some basil leaves and a grating of parmesan. It’s heaven.

This recipe takes a basic tomato sauce and gives it a little bit of a spruce up to create something a little more warming and give you something to get your senses tingling with some great flavours and to give your insides a hug! The combination of the spicy, strong garlic punch of the chorizo and the sweetness of the wine elevate the tomatoes to another new level, providing the perfect accompaniment for a dish of pasta, gnocchi or even spread over meat or fish. I made it with some left over ingredients from the wild boar stew earlier this week.

So to start us off you will need;

• 1/2 a med chorizo sausage. Diced
• 2 sticks of celery. finely chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 of a cup red wine
• 1 tspn  garlic granules
• 1 tspn butter (unsalted)
• handful of sliced black olives
• 2 tablespoon olive oil (Basil infused preferably)
• large pinch sea salt
• large pinch cracked black pepper
• 200-300g pasta. I used some great little tortellini with spinach and ricotta.

1. Boil the pasta in salted water to the pack instructions. Remove the pasta a minute or so before the instructed cooking time to maintain its al dente bite. Retain 1/4 a cup pasta cooking water.
2. In a frying pan on a medium heat add the oil, celery and chorizo. Gently fry until the chorizo starts to go crispy.
3. Pour in the wine and keep on the heat until it reduces by around half.
4. Add the whole tin of tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper to the pan and stir well.
5. Still on the medium heat, cook for 4-5 minutes until the sauce emulsifies thoroughly, stirring regularly.
6. Stir through the olives and add the butter, pasta and the reserved cooking water.
7. Turn the heat up slightly and continue to stir the pasta into the sauce for a minute or so until the pasta is well glazed in the sauce.
8. Serve and enjoy. Great for winter nights this one!