Gramigna Pasta with Sausage, White Wine, Fennel Cream & Parmesan

Michael @ChefCampers is association with Camper Buyer

Gramigna Pasta with Sausage, White Wine, Fennel Cream & Parmesan

A rich and comforting pasta dish inspired by Bologna, combining sausage meat, white wine, fennel-infused cream and Parmesan in a silky sauce that clings perfectly to gramigna pasta.

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g gramigna pasta
250g good-quality pork sausage meat
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
100ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
1 tsp fennel seeds
50g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
Salt and black pepper
A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method

Infuse the cream

Add the double cream and fennel seeds to a small saucepan. Warm gently over a low heat for a few minutes, without allowing it to boil.

Remove from the heat and leave the fennel seeds to infuse while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Brown the sausage meat

Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the sausage meat.

Break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, caramelised and beginning to catch slightly around the edges.

The sausage should release enough fat to cook the onions, so there is usually no need to add extra oil.

Add the onion

Add the finely diced onion to the browned sausage meat and stir well.

Cook gently for 4–5 minutes, until the onion has softened and absorbed some of the flavour from the sausage.

Add the garlic

Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for another minute, taking care not to let it burn.

Deglaze with white wine

Pour in the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any caramelised pieces of sausage.

Allow the wine to bubble and reduce for 2–3 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the strong smell of alcohol has disappeared.

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the gramigna and cook according to the packet instructions until just al dente.

Before draining, reserve a mugful of the pasta cooking water.

Add the fennel cream

Pour the fennel-infused cream into the sausage mixture and stir well.

Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. Leave the fennel seeds in the cream for a stronger flavour, or strain them out before adding if you prefer a smoother sauce.

Add the Parmesan

Lower the heat and stir in the finely grated Parmesan until melted and smooth.

Season generously with black pepper and taste before adding salt, as both the sausage and Parmesan may already be quite salty.

Combine the pasta and sauce

Add the drained gramigna directly to the frying pan and toss it through the sauce.

Add a splash of the reserved pasta water and stir until the sauce becomes glossy and coats every piece of pasta. Add a little more pasta water if the sauce feels too thick.

Serve

Divide the pasta between two bowls and finish with freshly chopped parsley, extra grated Parmesan and a little more black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Chef’s note

Cooking the sausage first allows it to caramelise properly and release its fat into the pan. The onions then cook in those juices, building the flavour of the sauce from the start.

Infusing the cream with fennel seeds adds a subtle aniseed flavour that works particularly well with pork sausage and gives the dish a more traditional northern Italian feel.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest articles delivered straight to your inbox.