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fileja con salsicce e funghi

fileja with sausage and mushrooms

I’ve only discovered the Calabrian Fileja pasta shape a few years ago, and it’s become a real favourite. Half way between long and short pasta shapes, the 10cm long fileja cook down into a floppy, robust pasta that you can really get your teeth into. In Calabria it’s normally served with sauces based on minced pork and tomatoes, or with the truly amazing Calabrian ‘nduja sausage.


Fileja are one of the less common pasta shapes but definitely worth tracking down if you feel stuck in a rut or need some inspiration for your pasta dishes -the fileja I’m currently buying in London are from Delizie Vaticane di Tropea, who also do incredible n’duja.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)

  • cut the mushrooms

  • skin the sausages

  • peel the garlic

  • cook the mushrooms

  • begin to cook the sausage

  • make the tomato sauce

  • add sausage, mushrooms to tomatoes

  • simmer the sauce

  • cook the pasta

  • combine sauce and pasta

fileja with sausage and mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

FOR FOUR PEOPLE

  • 400g mushrooms

  • sausage meat from 6 sausages

  • 2-3 large cloves garlic

  • tomato polpa (Mutti)

  • white wine

  • oregano


PASTA

400g fileja (Delizie Vaticane)


MANTECATURA (?)

light to very moderate

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METHOD

Slice the mushrooms and cook in a splash of white wine, half a crushed garlic clove and a sprinkle of oregano on a medium heat. Allow them to soften and the wine to evaporate, then turn the heat up slightly and allow them to colour / become golden, but not burn! If you have any chunks of burnt garlic in the pan, fish them out, they'll be very bitter. At the same time as cooking the mushrooms, get the insides of 6 sausages (no skin) frying insome EVO, along with another half crushed garlic clove.


When the meat's all changed colour, turn up the heat and add a splash of white wine. Let the wine evaporate and allow the sausage take on some colour and crisp slighlty, but don't burn it. You can drain away an excess fat if you like. When the sausage is cooked add it to the mushrooms, leave it to simmer.



Make a basic tomato sauce with a tin of good quality tomato polpa and a crushed clove of garlic. Put half a tablespoon of EVO in a non-stick pan or pasta pan and heat to a moderate heat. Add the crushed garlic and allow to gently cook (not burn!) for no more than 60 sec, then pour in the polpa. Allow the sauce to reduce (stirring regularly) for about 15 mins, then add the sausage and mushrooms. Simmer for a further 10-15 mins, adding water if it begins to dry out too much.


Put the water for the pasta on to boil and cook the pasta. When the fileja just pass the 'al dente' stage, transfer them into the pan with the tomato sauce and let them finish cooking there, which will probably be only for a minute or two, if you've timed the pasta cooking correctly! Toss the pasta and sauce together to combine and then serve immediately with grated pecorino and ground cayenne pepper.

NUTRITION per serving

  • KCAL: we're working on it!

  • Fat (g): TBC

  • Sat Fat (g): TBC

  • Carb (g): TBC

  • Sug (g): TBC

  • Fibre(g): TBC

  • Prot (g): TBC

  • Salt (g): TBC

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