Merguez & Spinach Pasta

Hands down one of my favourite sausages is Merguez, a North African lamb sausage (although it's sometimes mixed with beef) which has a unique combination of spices resulting in a totally unique flavour compared to our North American sausage varieties. This recipe is delicious and takes no time at all to make.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 Merguez Sausages

Penne Pasta (Enough for 2 people)

Handful of Black Olives

Golf Ball sized piece of Feta

2 Handfulls of fresh Spinach

3 Tbsp 35% Cream

Olive Oil (Any kind of oil will do!)

Salt & Pepper

Preparation

• Cook your penne to al dente in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside. (Or if you time it perfectly have it ready to go as you need it...see below.)
• Blanch your spinach: Boil some water in a small pot or frying pan and drop the spinach in for 20 - 30 seconds. Pour into a colander and rinse immediately with cold water. Alternatively, put your spinach in a bowl of ice water.The idea is to stop it from cooking any further. Once it's nice and cold squeeze it into a ball to get all the water out. Set aside.
• Heat up a pan to med-high and add a few tbsp of oil.
• When the pan is hot (oil should sizzle when something is added to it) cut your merguez out of its casing and squeeze out the meat into the pan.
• Using a wooden spoon break up the sausage as it cooks.
• Once the sausage is brown on the outside, probably 3 or 4 minutes into cooking, add your pasta, spinach and olives. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add your cream, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes, just long enough for the cream to thicken a little.
• Pour into a bowl and add your feta. (Crush it with your fingers as you add it.) Stir and taste...if it needs more salt or pepper, add it now, otherwise, serve it up!