A creamy, satisfying sausage and courgette pasta that is bound to please all members of the household. If you're cooking for the kiddies, you may want to leave out the chilli and fennel seeds to make it acceptable for little palates. It's served with a dressed rocket salad and is a recipe we think you will return to time and time again.
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Start by slicing the courgettes into ½cm rounds. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary. Remove the sausage meat from the skins and break them up into bite-size pieces. The best way to do this is to make a slit all the way down each sausage and carefully peel off the casing. This is easiest when the sausages are fridge cold.
Pour half the olive oil into a large frying pan and once hot, add the sausage meat, fennel seeds and chilli flakes (if using). Fry for 5-6 minutes, until the meat is just cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the pan into a bowl and leave to one side.
Fill a large pan with boiling water, add a pinch of salt and the pasta. Cook according to the packet instructions.
Reduce the heat under the frying pan to medium, then add the courgettes and rosemary and a pinch of salt. Fry for 8-10 minutes, until the courgettes start to colour and wilt, but still have a good texture to them. Add the garlic for the final few minutes as you don't want this to burn.
Add the sausage meat back to the pan, along with the creme fraiche. Stir to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer. Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of cooking water, then add the cooked pasta to the frying pan along with a splash of cooking water. Add half the lemon zest and juice and season generously with salt and black pepper.
Dress the rocket with the remaining lemon juice and zest and olive oil. Divide the pasta between bowls and serve with huge amounts of parmesan cheese and a pinch of chilli flakes (if using).