Put the paccheri in a large pan of boiling, well-salted water. Cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour a generous glug of oil into a large frying pan. Place over a high heat and then add the sausage meat to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small bite-size chunks then fry for roughly 5 minutes until golden brown and the meat starts to develop a dark golden crust and become crisp. After about 5 minutes, turn down the heat to medium-low and add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
Fry for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the cream. Season well with salt and pepper and stir everything together. Leave to gently simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the paccheri to the sauce, along with a splash of the cooking water. Add the baby spinach and toss everything together over the heat for a minute or two, until the sauce coats the pasta and the spinach has wilted. If the sauce is looking a little thick, loosen it with another splash of the cooking water until it has a good consistency. Divide between two bowls.
Pancetta, courgette and lemon trofie pictured
Pancetta, courgette and lemon trofie
Serves: 2 Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Cals: 762 Sat fat: 23g
Ingredients: *120g diced pancetta *150g trofie *40g salted butter *2 courgettes, sliced diagonally into 1cm rounds *2 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced *Small handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to serve *1 lemon, zested then halved for squeezing *100g mascarpone *Finely grated parmesan
Method:
Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta. Add the pancetta to a cold frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Fry for 5 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure the pancetta is well-browned on all sides and starting to crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the trofie to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, following the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.
Meanwhile, add the butter to the pan with the pancetta fat and place over a medium heat. Add the courgettes and fry for about 3 minutes until they start to soften and become lightly caramelised.
Add the garlic, chopped mint and lemon zest and fry for a further minute before adding the mascarpone. Add a little splash of the pasta cooking water and a good squeeze of lemon. Mix until the mascarpone melts into a sauce. Season well with salt and pepper then turn down the heat to low and gently simmer until the pasta is cooked.
Drain the trofie, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta and a splash of its cooking water to the pan with the sauce. Toss over the heat for a minute or two until you have a glossy sauce that coats the pasta. Divide between two bowls and top with the parmesan and mint.
The recipes are from Ed Barrow’s new book
The Monday Pasta Club by Ed Barrow (£22, Kyle Books) is out August 29.
