Pasta with sausage and mushrooms – Pasta with sausage and mushrooms

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g penne or other pasta
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chili pepper(s), red
• 300 g sausage meat, coarse
• 250 g mushrooms, brown
• 100 g cherry tomatoes
• 150 ml white wine
• 200 ml cream
• 1 tsp, heaped fennel seeds
• ¼ bunch parsley, flat
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• Parmesan

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Press the sausage mixture out of the skin and mix with the ground fennel seeds. Italian fennel salsiccia also works, but it’s not available everywhere. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Finely chop the garlic and a large red chili pepper, including the seeds. Clean and slice the mushrooms, and fry them in a deep pan with oil. When the mushrooms are a rich golden brown, remove them and set aside. Heat another large splash of olive oil in the same pan. Add the garlic, chili, and sausage mixture and fry over medium heat. Break up the sausage a little with a spatula to avoid huge chunks. Once the sausage has browned, deglaze with white wine and simmer briefly. Halve the cherry tomatoes or, for a more rustic approach, simply squeeze them over the pan with your hands. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have dissolved slightly. Add the cream and bring everything back to a boil. At this point, feel free to add a ladle of pasta water to the sauce. Reduce the heat slightly, add the mushrooms, and let them simmer in the sauce until warm. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the freshly chopped parsley. Immediately pour the pasta onto a plate over the pasta, which has been cooked al dente according to the package instructions, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a glass of dry white wine.