Pappardelle with Rich Fennel Pork Ragu

Peel the onion, cut in half through the root and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one) and roughly chop the parsley. Grate the parmesan cheese.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Cut open the pork sausage, remove the meat and discard the skin, then fry your sausage meat for 5 mins until the edges start to crisp. Tip: Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage meat up into pieces.

Remove your pork and keep to one side, then cook your onion in the same pan on medium heat for 5 mins (there should be enough oil left in the pan from the pork). Add your garlic and fennel seeds and cook for a further 2 mins.

Add the chopped tomatoes and your pork back into the pan and allow your ragu to thicken for 8-10 mins. Season with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Tip: At this point add a sprinkle of sugar, if you have some, to lift the flavour of the tomatoes.

While your ragu is cooking, add the pappardelle to the boiling water and cook for 7 mins until ‘al dente’. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle - taste it as you go to get it just right.