Sausagey, Spinachey, Pasta...y?

So, a couple of years ago, I went to my aunt's house where there was a family gathering being held. With her family alone consisting of 7 offspring and that's before you then add partners of offspring...and my family...well...lets just say, a lot of food was needed. The main dish was to be a fish pie however, as is appreciated by many, this isn't always a first choice option and especially, if, like me, you're not a great fishy fan. I may be singing it in choir but I personally disagree that 

'Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me'...sorry Sebastian. 

So, as an alternative, my cousin Eloise had produced a delicious pasta dish with the help from our good friend Jamie Oliver. Many things happened over that lunch time (including a little incident involving the fish pie on the floor and terracotta chips in peoples pies...don't worry Felix, we won't go further with that tale of woe) but one of the most important was me going away with that delicious pasta recipe that can be found here!

Since that lunchtime, I have found myself frequently recreating that dish, never as perfectly as Eloise but still very enjoyably. End results have varied and I will say there have been many incidences where I've come away, once again, persuading myself that I must work on my chilli quantities...but that's of no consequence. The point is, it's a tasty dish but today, yes, this very day, only moments ago, I finished a bowl of a slightly varied version of this delectable dish and here, I shall inform you of what I did. 

Proper Blokes' Sausage Fusilli...or is it?

Ingredients:

Sausages (I used 3 herby pork sausages from good ol' Sainsbury's)

Fusilli Pasta (Although, when I looked in my cupboard, I only had a small amount left as well as the last remains of some pasta bows...so I just mixed them up...I know, wild!)

1 Garlic Clove

Mushrooms

Mixed Herbs

Chilli

White Wine

Spinach

Method:

1. Chuck the pasta into a pan of boiling water, turn down the heat slightly and allow to boil slowly

2. Take the sausages and using some scissors, or if feeling risky, a knife and poke a whole in one end of each. Squeeze out the sausage meat from the casings and into a bowl...or wherever you want to while you do the next step...it's your kitchen after all.

3. Drizzle some olive oil into a deep heavy-bottomed (frying) pan giving it time to heat up. Then tip the sausage meat in using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat so it's not all in great, big clumps...you know what I mean?

4. Allow the meat to brown slowly before adding the crushed (or chopped) garlic into the mix. Give it a quick stir and then throw in some chopped mushrooms. Allow these to cook through.

5. Give the mix a quick taste once it's all cooked through enough. If you think it needs more seasoning, now's the time to sprinkle in some more mixed herbs and, if brave, and better at judging quantity, possibly some chilli but be careful.

6. Pour in a dash of white wine and allow the pan to sizzle (and possibly spit so I suggest standing back) and the liquid to reduce. 

7. Finally, throw in some spinach leaves, stirring them around the pan allowing them to shrink and cook but not to burn (nobody likes a burn spinach leaf now do they?). Drain your pasta leaving a little of the cooking water over and pour the pasta and liquid into the frying pan. Give it a stir and a mix and a little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of  Erica by my side......actually ignore that last bit. Maybe a little bit of Parmesan though, if you're feeling like it.

8. Into the bowl anddd

You're finished! Yum yumm!

(You can thank me later)