“This is a favourite of mine. I make fresh pasta dough with whole eggs, and once the pasta is made I hang it on wooden dowels to dry – it can store for up to two days in this manner. Salsiccia is Italian for sausage. I like wild olives from Mount Zero Olives in Victoria’s Grampians, but you can also use your favourite Kalamata or Spanish green olives in the sauce.”
Ingredients
Pasta dough
Method
Main
1.For pasta dough, process ingredients and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor until a ball forms (1-2 minutes), turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and firm (3-5 minutes). Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in a cool place for 30 minutes. Divide dough into three pieces and, working with one piece at a time, rolling and folding as you go, feed through pasta machine, reducing settings notch by notch until dough is 2mm thick. Dust with flour to prevent sticking. Cut into 30cm pieces, then cut each piece into 3cm-wide strips and hang over a wooden dowel to dry (1-2 hours).
2.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Blanch tomatoes until skins split (1-2 minutes), then refresh, drain, peel, coarsely chop and set aside. Place capsicum on an oven tray, scatter with herbs, sherry vinegar and 30ml olive oil, season to taste and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender but still holding their shape (25-30 minutes). Cool slightly, then peel, remove seeds, cut into strips (reserve pan juices) and set aside.
3.Heat 40ml olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add sausage and sauté until golden (4-5 minutes), drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
4.Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, shallot, garlic and chilli and stir occasionally until tender but not coloured (6-7 minutes). Add canned tomato, basil and chopped tomato, stir to combine, then bring to the simmer and stir occasionally until thick (25-30 minutes). Remove basil, break tomato up with the back of a wooden spoon, add reserved capsicum, sausage and olives, season to taste and keep warm.
5.Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2-3 minutes), drain and add to salsiccia and roast pepper ragù. Toss to coat and serve immediately scattered with oregano leaves.
Note Nicky uses a veal and pork sausage from Melbourne’s Largo Butchers for this dish. She recommends wild olives from Mount Zero Olives.
Drink Suggestion: Spicy, earthy southern Italian red such as primitivo. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes
