Fennel, Sausage and Harissa Mafalde

1.	Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta. Add the fennel seeds to a separate large pan and dry-fry them for 2 minutes over a medium heat until fragrant and slightly darker in colour. Then add a good splash of oil followed by the sausages.
2.	Break down the sausages into bite-size chunks. Brown the meat well for about 4 minutes. Once the meat is well browned, remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the oil in the pan.
3.	Add the mafalde to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.
4.	Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the butter and onion to the pan used to cook the sausages and fry for 4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, harissa and dried oregano then cook for a further minute, stirring well. Then add the tomato purée (paste) and canned tomatoes followed by the cooked sausage. Season well with salt and pepper and simmer gently until the pasta is cooked.
5.	Drain the mafalde, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce with a generous splash of the cooking water. Toss everything over the heat for a minute or two, adding a little more cooking water if needed.
6.	Divide between 2 bowls and scatter over the basil leaves.

	1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
	4 Pork Sausages - skins removed
	30g Butter
	1 Small White Onion - finely chopped
	1 Garlic Clove - finely chopped
	3 tbsp Harissa
	1 tbsp Dried Oregano
	1 tbsp Tomato Purée (paste)
	400g Canned chopped tomatoes
	150g Mafalde
	10g Fresh Basil