Sausage, Leek & Fennel Sauce With Fresh Orecchiette

Before you begin...

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready

Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 min)

Now, let's get started!

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a high heat

Add your sausage meat (remove the paper if required!) to the pan and cook for 2-3 min or until beginning to brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go

Boil a kettle

Chop your leek[s] in half lengthways, wash thoroughly to remove any grit then top, tail and slice finely

Peel and slice (don't chop!) your garlic

Peel and slice your shallot[s] finely

Add the sliced leek, fennel seeds, sliced shallot and sliced garlic to the pan with the sausage meat and cook for 4-5 min or until the leek is beginning to soften

Meanwhile, add your fresh orecchiette to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the orecchiette for 4-6 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the orecchiette, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water

While the pasta is cooking, dissolve your chicken stock mix in 50ml [75ml] [100ml] boiled water and stir in your soft cheese – this is your creamy stock

Once the leek is beginning to soften, add 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] flour to the pan and give everything a good mix up

Add the creamy stock to the pan and cook for 1-2 min further or until the sauce has thickened

Once the sauce has thickened and the sausage meat is cooked through (no pink meat!), stir in the fresh orecchiette with half of your grated Italian hard cheese (save the rest for garnish!), a splash of starchy pasta water and a generous grind of black pepper – this is your sausage, leek & fennel sauce with fresh orecchiette