italian sausage ragu & silken pasta

As winter approaches, a warming rustic dish for cooler darker nights

~pasta~
4 eggs
400g 00 flour
fine semolina for dusting

~ragu~
4 or 5 Italian sausages (I used veal, pork & fennel)
handful small or cherry tomatoes
1 packet of passata (400g)
Maldon
freshly ground black pepper
raw sugar
fresh basil
olive oil
1 eggplant, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
optional: red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

First, make the pasta. Mix the lightly beaten eggs with the flour until a soft dough forms, knead for 10 minutes or so until smooth and silky, then set aside under a bowl for 30 minutes. Roll the pasta by hand or machine and cut into 1.5cm wide ribbons. If rolling by hand, fold the rolled pasta sheets inward so that the two edges meet in the centre. Repeat until just a few centimetres across. Then, take a knife and cut into 1.5cm widths. Once complete, run the knife with the blade parallel to the bench under the pasta and once the blunt edge is under the line where the folds meet, turn up so that the pieces of pasta fall on either side of the knife. Give the knife a couple of gentle shakes and the ribbons should unfold. Place on a baking tray and toss with plenty of semolina to coat - this will prevent the pasta from sticking.

In a saute pan, heat a few generous glugs of olive oil and add the garlic and onion (and chilli if desired). Cook gently until the onion becomes translucent, then add the eggplant. cook gently until softened slightly. Push the contents to the edge of the pan and increase the temperature, adding a few more glugs of oil. Split the sausages open and break small chunks of the meat into the pan. Once browned, add the passata, salt, pepper and sugar (a full-fingered pinch). Cook gently for 10 minutes. Heat a large pot of water until boiling. Tear some basil leaves into the ragu and add the chopped fresh tomatoes (keep them quite chunky, cut into quarters at most). Continue to cook gently, adding water if the sauce starts to dry out.

Drop the fresh pasta into the water, stir well and cook for several minutes until done. Drain in a colander and toss with a little oil. Add to the ragu and finish with more torn basil and Parmesan.