Chilliwack has so much to offer, including meal ideas!  Below, Johnston’s has shared one of their favourite dishes to make:

Dez’s Famous Sausage & Fennel Pasta

Recipe created by Chef Dez

Servings: 6 portions

 Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 500 grams Johnston’s Mild Italian Sausage, casings removed

• 1 medium onion, diced very small

• 4-6 large garlic cloves, minced

• 2 Tbsp fennel seed

• 1 tsp salt

• a few grinds of black pepper

• 126 ml can tomato paste

• 796 ml can diced tomatoes

• 1 cup red wine, full-bodied

• 1 tsp vegetable stock paste

• 2 Tbsp white sugar

• 1/2 tsp sambal oelek, optional

• 400 grams penne paste or other favourite pasta shape

• 1 cup whipping cream

• chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

• grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add olive oil, sausage, onion, garlic, fennel seed, salt and pepper to a large heavy bottomed pan.

2. Turn the heat on to medium-high and cook, while breaking up the sausage, until the sausage is fully cooked and in small pieces, approximately 8 to 12 minutes.

3. Stir in tomato paste, diced tomatoes, wine, vegetable paste, sugar, and sambal oelek. Bring to a boil and reduce over medium heat until the sauce becomes very thick, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Cook your pasta in boiling, liberally salted water to desired consistency (approximately 13 to 15 minutes for penne) during this step.

4. Once the sauce has reduced, stir in the whipping cream and then the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately garnished with parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Chef’s Tip: ‘sambal oelek’ is a crushed chilli product that comes in liquid/paste form – it is optional in this recipe but I find that it really adds some complexity to the sauce, and with only one half teaspoon, the sauce is not spicy. If you want a spicy sauce, then add more sambal oelek or use hot Italian sausage instead of mild.