My Nonna’s sausage stew with pasta (dairy, egg and nut free)

Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, skin on, bashed with the back of a knife

6 pork sausages, cut into 3 cm pieces

150 ml red or white wine

800 g tinned tomatoes

200 ml water salt and pepper for seasoning

1 spring of rosemary

1-2 bayleaves freshly grated parmigiano, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over high heat for 1 minute or until it smells fragrant. Add the sausages and brown them well on both sides. Deglaze the pan with the wine and allow it to bubble away for 1–2 minutes or until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the tinned tomatoes, water, salt and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. When it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook slowly for 2-1/2 to 3 hour,s or until the sausages are melt-in the-mouth tender and the sauce nicely reduced and rich. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and reserve a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Toss the past with the sausage stew and add pasta cooking water as needed, if the sauce is to thick. Serve hot, dusted with parmesan cheese and black pepper.