Before I got married this was my go to dish at least twice a week (ok, maybe three times a week… don’t judge me!). You could be forgiven for thinking it was because it’s so easy to make – I swear it takes longer to clean up afterwards than it takes to make it – and you’d be partly right. But the fact that it’s insanely tasty and, with the abundance of cherry tomatoes and rocket, really fresh is what elevates it from just ‘an easy supper’ to a ‘a delicious and easy supper’! And whenever Hubby goes back to the States without me, my tastebuds revert back to singleton status and it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll be getting stuck into a bowl of this before his plane has even reached the Atlantic!
Green and red pesto both work with this dish (Hubby prefers red). I also tend to use the whole packet of rocket for two people, but that’s only because I love rocket (I am reliably informed that in America it’s called arugula). And if there are any leftovers (big big if in my household!) this is good cold, like a pasta salad, for lunch the next day.
I would love to credit this properly but I can’t for the life of me remember which foodie mag I found it in I’m afraid, but it’s so easy to throw together that there really wasn’t any need to hold onto the recipe.
By the way, please bear with me as I practice my food photography… Today’s attempt is brought to you by Super Macro and standing really close to the counter 🙂
- 1 whole Chorizo sausage (The dried kind. This recipe uses the big U-shaped ones, so use two if you’re getting the smaller links).
- 1 pack Cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 packet of Rocket
- 1 1/2 tbsp Pesto
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil for cooking
- Penne or Fusili pasta
- Salt for seasoning
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water up to boiling before adding your pasta to it. Set the timer according to the pasta’s instructions and cook until al dente (usually around 10 minutes).
- While the pasta is cooking, halve the cherry tomatoes and cut the chorizo into bite-sized pieces – I usually slice into pound coin sized pieces and then halve them again. Don’t forget to peel the chorizo casing off first! if you don’t it’s still edible, but a little chewier than it should be (says the voice of experience…)
- When the pasta has cooked, drain it and set to one side. In the same saucepan, heat the oil and brown the chorizo for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Then add the cherry tomatoes for about 1 minute, or until the skin is just beginning to break, before sloshing in a generous slug of balsamic vinegar and salt to season.
- Next add the cooked pasta and the pesto, and stir it all up until the pasta is well coated in everything.
- Finally, turn off the heat and add the rocket, stirring it all up again, and let the heat of the dish wilt the rocket a little before serving it up.
