A Fresh Line-Up of Winter Warmers

 

i won’t lie — this week, all I’ve been thinking about is soup. So much so, I nearly wrote up a minestrone recipe for this newsletter. I mean… it’s got pasta in it, right?

But let’s be real — this is a pasta recipe email, and sending you soup feels dangerously close to cheating. (That said, if you do want my minestrone recipe, I’ll happily send it your way.)

So instead, we’re going full comfort mode with a ragu that’s as soul-soothing as a bowl of soup — but absolutely pasta. Sausage + fennel ragu with farfalle and cannellini beans. It’s one of those “use what you’ve got” kind of dishes. Want to shake it up? Try chorizo, salami, or even prawns.

I like to serve it with a little salad of bitter leaves, fennel, and grapes to balance out all that glorious richness.

SAUSAGE + FENNEL RAGU WITH FARFALLE & CANNELLINI BEANS

Cook Time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

 
 

Ingredients

  • 2 x 400g cans whole plum (Italian) tomatoes, with juice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 3 Italian sausages, casing removed

  • 2 medium fresh fennel bulbs, trimmed, finely sliced (fronds reserved)

  • 2 medium brown onions, finely diced

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ tsp fennel seeds

  • 1.4 litres chicken stock

  • 250g farfalle pasta

  • 1 x 400g can cannellini beans, rinsed + drained

  • ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 30g shaved parmesan

Method

  1. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop them and set aside in a bowl.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned.

  3. Add fennel, onion, garlic and fennel seeds to the pot and sauté until soft and fragrant.

  4. Pour in the chicken stock and tomatoes with reserved juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

  5. Cook the farfalle in a large pan of simmering salted water until al dente (about 9–11 mins). Drain.

  6. Stir the beans, parsley and cooked pasta into the ragu and heat through. Season to taste.

  7. To serve, divide into bowls, top with shaved parmesan and fennel fronds.

Whether you’re cooking this for your housemates, date night, or just yourself (because leftovers are a gift), it’s the kind of dish that brings big winter comfort energy without needing much fuss.

 
THOMAS NEWFIELD