Ingredients

(Serves 4 but easily adjusted for more!)

Chorizo & Red Wine Sauce

1 red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp roughly chopped rosemary

a small pinch of chilli flakes

400g fresh chorizo sausages, skin removed

½ cup red wine

400g canned tomato passata

400g canned cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Béchamel

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 cups milk

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

What Else

400g dried rigatoni or paccheri

200g fresh mozzarella, torn

a handful of picked basil leaves

as always more grated Parmesan

Prep It

Preheat oven to 200°c. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Finely chop your onion, mince garlic and roughly chop rosemary. Remove chorizo meat from sausage skins and get rid of that skin.

Tear mozzarella into large chunks and set aside for baking.

Cook It

Heat a goooood drizzle of olive oil in a frypan on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, rosemary, a pinch of salt and chilli flakes and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add chorizo and cook until lovely and golden, about 3 minutes. Pour in the red wine and cook until reduced by about half. Add in both cans of tomatoes, vinegar and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low and cook for about 20 minutes, until thickened and all those flavours marry together!

While that’s cooking throw your pasta into the boiling water and cook for a couple of minutes less than the pack instructions say. You don’t want it completely cooked as she’s going into the oven for a bit!

Next (and almost lastly) get onto the béchamel. Place butter in a small pot on medium heat. Once melted add flour and cook until foaming and pale. Add milk and whisk to combine. It should thicken pretty quickly. Let it bubble a couple of times to let that flour cook and then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat, TASTE it and then season with salt and pepper.

Assemble It

So you have your chorizo, pasta, béchamel and mozzarella at the ready. Spread half chorizo in the bottom of your dish. Dollop over half the béchamel and top with pasta. See if you can get the tubes standing upright… no drama if not. Spoon over remaining chorizo and béchamel and then top with mozzarella.

Bake It

Cook it in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly!

Eat It

with more Parmesan of course and a sprinkle of fresh basil!