Pipette rigate (pasta) with Salsiccia, Radicchio e Pomodorini

Pasta with Sausage, Radicchio and Cherry Tomatoes

(serves 6)

It's always fun when you find a new pasta shape in the supermarket, this one was from a grocery store in an Asian suburb which is a bit bizarre... but hey, italian brand, i'll take it. As my imaginative friend LiEn put it, this one looks a bit like an old-school divers mask, got to love what they can come up with! 
I've done this basic recipe before with the 'nude sausages' as Lisa puts it, but thought i'd try the recipe as i originally tasted it this time - with radicchio and tomatoes. My twist was with whole cherry tomatoes because i just can't get enough of these delicious bursts of tomato-ey goodness!

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 35-40 min


Ingredients:
500g dried pasta - pipette rigate
1kg lamb or beef sausage
1 can (400g) whole peeled tomatoes
700mL passata
1 head of radicchio
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
30-50g parmesan, shredded
basil, to garnish


Method:
1. Heat a deep non-stick saucepan with 1/2 T oil.
2. De-skin the sausages and use the meat to form small meat-ball sized pieces and add to the pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and passata, 1 tsp sugar, salt and pepper and cook on simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. Add the radicchio and stir in until soft.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until cherry tomatoes are starting to burst out of their skins. Take off the heat.
6. After the cherry tomatoes are in for about 5 minutes, start to cook the pasta. Add the pasta to a pot of boiling, generously salted water and cook until al dente, then drain.
7. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix through. Give a sprinkle of olive oil, salt and pepper and serve with parmesan and basil.