Sausage, fennel + chilli crisp

Saucy with pasta, soupy with rice

My dad has always called me sausage. He has an array of nicknames for me but this one has stuck because of my all-consuming love for sausages. Every time I come home on a weekend, my dad will get six Bucks Bangers from our local butchers (or will defrost some Lancashire Cumberlands from the butcher near where my dad grew up) and slow cooks them on a low heat for about 2 hours. This might seem mad or excessive but it is simply a pleasure we have enjoyed for as long as I can remember - the only form of my dad’s cooking that doesn’t involve heating up a M&S chicken kyiv (delicious though).

The other day I was planning a solo Sunday supper after a weekend of sun and socialising and I was craving fennel, sausage and pasta. I wanted craggy, crispy pieces tucked in the folds and dips of a small conchiglie shell. At first I thought about keeping it sauceless, but I wanted the spice of chilli crunch.

It was perfect as a saucy pasta on Sunday night. And a few days later I recreated it but with some extra soupiness so I could drown a bowl of hot white rice.

For two people, you’ll need: