Bucatini with Italian Cacciatore Sausage, Red Wine and Tomatoes

This is a fantastic classic Italian pasta dish, and using Bucatini - a fat tubular spaghetti - makes all the difference in the mouth feel this recipe provides.

Ingredients

1 Hot or Medium Cacciatore Sausage [purchase from a good Italian deli]

400g tin Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 bottle good red wine

Bunch of fresh Basil

Reggiano Parmesan cheese

1 pack of Buccatini pasta

Extra Virgin Olive oil - for dressing

Salt and Pepper

Slice the cacciatore into 5mm pieces [as in photo] or cut and cube the sausageinto 1cm lardons. The small 'lardons' of sausage are actually a welcome change if you cook this dish as often as I do.

Fry the sausage in a heavy bottomed pan for 5min on a medium fire. then add wine and tomatoes and half the basil - you can chop the stalks of the basil as well. Lower the heat to low and simmer uncovered as your pasta cooks.

If you sauce has become too thick you can thin it down using water from the pasta pot. This is great technique to thicken or add to pasta sauces of all kinds.

Toss the buccatini with the sauce with the rest of the basil leaves. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. It won't get cold...but will let the flavours get into the pasta. Top with shaved parmesan, salt, pepper and olive oil.