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| Cheesy fusilli pasta, tomato sauce and cocktail sausages with bruschetta |
If spag bol and macaroni cheese are the limits of your experiences with pasta, there can be little doubt that you are missing out on many of the endless, tasty possibilities afforded by this incredibly versatile foodstuff. While plain pasta and nothing else would of course represent a pretty bland meal, the number of other ingredients that go with pasta to form quick, easy, often healthy meals is limited only by our own imaginations and levels of inventiveness. It can also be a great accompaniment for using up leftovers, as was the case here with the mini cocktail sausages. I hope you'll give this dish - or something like it - a try.
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| Measuring out fusilli pasta |
Ingredients per Person
1 coffee mug of dried fusilli pasta
Salt
10 mini cocktail sausages
Vegetable oil for frying
8 ounce can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
2 garlic cloves - 1 peeled and grated for sauce, 1 peeled and crushed for bruschetta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling on bruschetta
Generous pinch dried oregano
Generous pinch dried basil
Black pepper
2 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 sun dried tomato ciabatta bread roll, halved horizontally
Rolled and sliced basil leaves to garnish
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| Fusilli pasta added to boiling, salted water |
When cooking pasta, there is a common myth that adding olive oil to the water will stop the pasta sticking together. In fact, it does nothing of the sort - the oil simply floats on top of the water and represents nothing more than a waste of oil. In order to stop pasta sticking together, the key is to have plenty of water in the pan to dilute the starch. The water should also be very heavily salted. Add the pasta to rapidly boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes.
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| Frying mini cocktail sausages in oil |
Gently fry the cocktail sausages in a little vegetable oil for seven or eight minutes until done, while the pasta is simmering.
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| Fusilli pasta is thoroughly drained |
Drain the pasta through a colander or sieve and add temporarily to a small bowl or deep plate.
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| Drained fusilli pasta and cocktail sausages are set aside |
Drain the cocktail sausages on kitchen paper and set aside with the pasta.
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| Grated garlic clove and olive oil |
Pour the olive oil in to a saucepan and add the grated garlic. Fry very gently for thirty seconds or so.
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| Canned tomatoes and herbs are added to garlic infused oil |
Pour the tomatoes in to the saucepan and season with the basil, oregano and black pepper. Bring to a simmer for about five minutes, stirring frequently.
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| Fusilli pasta and cocktail sausages are added to tomato sauce |
Add the pasta and sausages to the sauce, carefully fold through and simmer for a couple of minutes until fully reheated. Put your grill/broiler on to preheat to maximum.
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| Fusili pasta and cocktail sausages in tomato sauce added to serving dish |
Pour the pasta and sauce mix in to a suitable dish and scatter with the grated cheese.
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| Grated cheese scattered over tomato pasta and sausages |
Put the dish under your grill to melt the cheese.
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| Sun dried tomato ciabatta roll |
Lightly toast the cut ciabatta roll under the grill when you have removed and plated the pasta dish (be sure to lift the dish using oven gloves!)
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| Cheese melted over tomato pasta and sausages |
Rub the cut sides of the toast with the crushed garlic clove, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
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| Toasted ciabatta ready to be rubbed with garlic and oiled |
Cut each slice of bread in half diagonally.
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| Sun dried tomato ciabatta bruschetta |
Garnish the pasta with the chopped basil leaves.
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| Basil is scattered over the cheesy tomato fusilli and sausages |
Plate the bruschetta with the pasta and tuck in.
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| Tucking in to fusilli pasta with sausages and bruschetta |
