This is from the mighty MIGHTY Nigel Slater’s book Real Cooking. It came out when I’d just joined Penguin as a secretary and I have a signed copy of it. It is my most used cookbook, I think. My editor, Lynne, basically thinks this is the only thing I can cook. I can cook it without messing up and it is flipping delicious - it’s also what’s best about cooking, the smells, the sticky bits, the wine splashing on the juices of the sausages, the cream… MMM! It’s a real store cupboard essential - ie you quite often have wine and sausages and cream and some mustard and pasta knocking around. I do anyway…
For 2 people.
4 spicy sausages - as good quality as you can, it really makes a difference.
1 glass white wine
1-2 pinches of dried chilli flakes (if you have them, don’t worry if not, grind lots of pepper instead)
1 small handful of chopped basil (also not essential but so delicious if you do have it)
200ml double cream, maybe a little less - see how you go. Might be toooo much.
Tablespoon Dijon mustard (has to be Dijon. Tastes weird with anything else i think)
4 handfuls of dried pasta

Put the water on to boil for the pasta. Heat a small amount of olive oil, and split open the sausages and crumble the meat (not the skins) into a pan. Fry the sausage meat until it is sizzling and cooked through.
In the meantime, add salt and pasta to boiling water.
Pour the wine into the sausage meat and let it loosen the gorgeous sausagey meat stuck to the pan. Stir in chilli flakes and basil. Add the mustard and the cream and bring this all slowly to a simmer, cook it through and stir it gently.
When the pasta is al dente - ie just a little hard to the bite - drain it thoroughly and tip it into the creamy, sausagey sauce. Serve it hot, in bowls, with parmesan grated on top if you wish.
Enjoy!
I know you will…
H xx