Sausage Ragout with Basil Tagliatelli

Fry the sausages in a little olive oil until cooked and nicely browned. Put to one side on some kitchen paper to remove any excess fat. Then cut into small pieces a few centimeters long  Picture  .

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove as many seeds as you and put into a sieve to drain. The sauce should be really chunky so you need to get rid of as much liquid as possible from the tomatoes.

Chop a few tablespoonfuls of basil and put to one side. Put the tagliatelli on to simmer for five to ten minutes until tender. When ready drain, put back in the saucepan and mix in a little butter, the chopped basil and a little salt.

Meanwhile crush a few cloves of garlic and put along with the chopped tomatoes into a thick bottomed saucepan and a tablespoonful of olive oil. Cook over a medium heat for no more than five minutes so it remains chunky. Season with salt and fresh black pepper  Picture  . Mix in the sausage bits and warm through.

Put the pasta and sausage tomato mixture on to serving plates, sprinkle some chopped chives over the sausage mixture and serve immediately  Zoom  .