Spiral pasta with mountain lentil and sausage sauce

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 200 g sausage
• 80 g carrot(s)
• 80 g celery
• 80 g onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Olive oil for frying
• 100 g mountain lentils
• 125 ml red wine, dry
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 1 can tomatoes, chopped
• 1 rosemary sprig(s)
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 250 g spiral noodles
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• e.g. Parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Fusilli with Lenticchie di montagna e Salsiccia

Skin the sausage and chop into small cubes. Chop the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic into very small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the sausage cubes for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and celery to the pan and fry for a few minutes, stirring. Add the lentils and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring. Deglaze with red wine, stirring until the red wine has evaporated. Add the stock, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, and the fried sausage cubes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the lentils are tender. Add a little more water (or red wine) if necessary, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta in a separate saucepan according to the package instructions, drain well, and reserve some of the pasta water. Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. If the sauce isn’t thick enough, add a little pasta water to achieve the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Add the pasta to the salsiccia, tomato, and lentil sauce and mix. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a glass of Chardonnay from Alto Adige.