Donal Skehan: Home Cook airs Wednesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.

Ingredients

Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

  • 8 herby sausages
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Good knob of unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 100ml (scant 1⁄2 cup) white wine
  • 200ml (generous 3⁄4 cup)
  • fresh chicken stock
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 100ml (scant 1⁄2 cup) soured cream or double (heavy) cream
  • 250g (9oz) rigatoni, fusilli or penne pasta
  • 300g (10oz) greens (eg spinach, kale, sprout tops, savoy cabbage), shredded
  • 25g grated Parmesan, and extra to serve
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Squeeze the meat from the sausages and shape with wet hands into 30 small meatballs (having wet hands will stop the sausage meat sticking to your hands).
  2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium - high heat and brown the meatballs all over. Set aside.
  3. Add the rest of the oil and the butter to the pan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two, then pour in the wine and bubble for 2 minutes.
  4. Gradually pour in the stock until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the soured cream or double cream. Season and return the meatballs to the pan with the mustard. Stir and simmer for 5–6 minutes until the meatballs are cooked.
  5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10–12 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving a splash of the cooking water, and add this water to the sauce.
  6. If you're using kale, remove the stalks and shred the leaves. Put the greens in a microwavable dish. Season with sea salt and add about 2 tablespoons of cold water.
  7. Cover with a lid or plate and microwave on high for about 4 minutes until just tender, then add half of the greens to the meatballs and sauce, leaving the rest to garnish at the end.
  8. Add the grated parmesan and stir through the sauce.
  9. Serve the pasta with the meatballs and greens spooned on top with lots of freshly cracked black pepper and a good grating of Parmesan.