Author Notes
This recipe is from the co-owner and chef of Vine Restaurant in Brisbane, Australia. Puglia-born Mimma Diana gifted it to me when I interviewed her for the New Farm Village News last month.
To get the best results my tips are: taste before you salt as your sausage mince could be salty enough, as Mimma warned the sauce did dry out over the hour so I filled the empty tomato can with tap water and used that to top it up, seeing as the recipe only calls for half a cup of white wine open a bottle you’d want to drink (I used a medium-priced Sauvignon Blanc). The ragù works best served over pillowy gnocchi but you could try pappardelle or orecchiette and for a punch of freshness sprinkle with leftover basil leaves before serving. —Annabelle Chapple
Ingredients
-
1 tablespoon
olive oil
-
1
small onion, diced
-
2
cloves garlic, diced
-
1.1 pounds
fennel (or Italian) sausages, casings removed
-
0.5 cups
dry white wine
-
14 ounces
(1 can) whole peeled Italian tomatoes
-
10
fresh basil leaves, torn in half
Directions
-
In a large heavy-based saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, cook until translucent; about 7 minutes.
-
Add sausage meat, breaking it up into crumbly pieces using a spoon, cook for about 10 minutes until browned.
-
Stir in white wine, once it’s reduced add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer.
-
The sauce needs to cook uncovered for around 1 hour; if it’s looking dry add water (or chicken stock if you have it). The oil will rise to the top when the sauce ready - Mimma says that’s the secret to all good ragù.
-
Serve over fresh gnocchi or pasta of your choice.
See what other Food52ers are saying.