no.7
Garganelli with Spicy Sausage Ragu
To anyone reading this in the southern hemisphere, you will be with me in feeling that winter is well and truly upon us. There is nothing that says winter appropriate comfort food in a bowl more to me, than a ragu. And so, here we are with this spicy sausage number, paired with garganelli, a short pasta hailing from the Emilia-Romagna region.
Presenting you with a fun fact for this morning, the name garganelli comes from the dialect word garganel, meaning chicken’s gullet - exactly what that beautiful ridged imprint on the pasta resembles. Typically these ridges are made with a tool called a pettine, however you can quite easily use a gnocchi board in place. Or you could make this shape without any tool at all and keep it smooth (scifuloti).
What I love about using sausage meat in a ragu is that you can quickly pack a punch of flavour by using good quality sausages fragranced with herbs/fennel/you name it, and build on that with all of the wonderful extras in the sauce. I tend to go for an Italian-style sausage and add extra fennel seeds to really bring the flavour out.
Sun-dried tomatoes, chillis, fresh Roma tomatoes, white wine and stock make the base of this ragu, resulting in a light and spicy sauce that feels fresh and delicate all at the same time. If this isn’t a Sunday sauce, I don’t know what is.
Suggested Wine Pairing
I promised a red wine last time, and red wine you shall receive! I mean, it’s a ragu. It had to be red.
I recently tried a beautiful Garnacha from a small winery in Mount Tamborine here in QLD, and it was truly a delight. As far as I understand it, Garnacha is the Spanish equivalent of the French Grenache, and apparently it’s really down to the wine maker as to what they call it. Happy to be informed otherwise, so if you’re a wine aficionado - hit me up and let me know.
Grenache tends to be robust, fruity, peppery - basically everything I personally love in a red. I think it is a fabulous pairing with this sort of ragu, and either a heavier-bodied or lighter style would work well here.
Sunday Soundtrack
Everything I’ve been listening to this week, throw it on and get kneading.