Fennel Sausage, Gochujang and Vodka Paccheri

by Gurdeep Loyal, featured in Flavour Heroes

Published by Quadrille

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Introduction

One of the leitmotifs of my cooking is fennel seeds – a signature ingredient used in both Punjabi and Italian cuisines – in almost everything. I adore the punchy lemony-anise hit they bring to any dish, sweet and savoury. For this reason my usually sparse refrigerator is rarely without Italian fennel sausages – grilled whole to a blackened char for the ultimate sarnies, or split open to sizzle in a pan for dreamy fennel sausage ragus. The spicy-savouriness of gochujang is the perfect note to add to this aniseedy chord, amped up further by the taste-magnifying effects of vodka. With flavours this loud, only very gigantic pasta – like satisfyingly huge paccheri – will do. The bigger the better!

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Flavour Heroes

Image of Gurdeep Loyal's Fennel Sausage, Gochujang and Vodka Paccheri — Photo by Patricia Niven

Ingredients

Serves: 2-3

Metric U.S.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (crushed)
350 grams fennel sausages (cases removed)
2 tablespoons gochujang
200 grams Tenderstem broccoli (ends trimmed)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
4 tablespoons vodka
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon caster sugar
200 grams baby plum tomatoes (halved)
125 grams sour cream
200 grams paccheri or rigatoni pasta
fine sea salt

For the pangrattato topping

35 grams butter
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
50 grams panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (crushed)
12 ounces fennel sausages (cases removed)
2 tablespoons gochujang
7 ounces Tenderstem broccoli (ends trimmed)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
4 tablespoons vodka
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
7 ounces baby plum tomatoes (halved)
4½ ounces sour cream
7 ounces paccheri or rigatoni pasta
fine sea salt

For the pangrattato topping

1¼ ounces butter
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
1¾ ounces panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Fennel Sausage, Gochujang and Vodka Paccheri is a guest recipe by Gurdeep Loyal so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 4 minutes. Next add the fennel seeds and sausage meat, and cook for 5 minutes until the meat starts to take on a little colour. Stir in the gochujang and cook for another minute.
Next, add the broccoli and 1¼ teaspoons of salt, cooking for 4 minutes until tender. Now stir in the tomato purée, vodka, balsamic vinegar and sugar, combining well.
Add the plum tomatoes, cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until they start to collapse into the sauce. Finally, stir through the soured cream, and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Meanwhile, make a crunchy pangrattato topping. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the garlic and dried herbs and fry for 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan, and cook over a medium–high heat for 5 minutes until toasty and golden. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely and crisp up further.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of well-salted boiling water following the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta water.
Reheat the sausage sauce over a low heat, adding a little of the cooking water if needed, then stir through the pasta. Serve in large bowls with a very generous sprinkling of the crunchy pangrattato on top.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 4 minutes. Next add the fennel seeds and sausage meat, and cook for 5 minutes until the meat starts to take on a little colour. Stir in the gochujang and cook for another minute.
Next, add the broccoli and 1¼ teaspoons of salt, cooking for 4 minutes until tender. Now stir in the tomato purée, vodka, balsamic vinegar and sugar, combining well.
Add the plum tomatoes, cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until they start to collapse into the sauce. Finally, stir through the soured cream, and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Meanwhile, make a crunchy pangrattato topping. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the garlic and dried herbs and fry for 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan, and cook over a medium–high heat for 5 minutes until toasty and golden. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely and crisp up further.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of well-salted boiling water following the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta water.
Reheat the sausage sauce over a low heat, adding a little of the cooking water if needed, then stir through the pasta. Serve in large bowls with a very generous sprinkling of the crunchy pangrattato on top.