Comfort Food

Aaron’s Chilli, Mushroom And Chorizo Pasta
Adapted from MasterChef Australia magazine, issue #5
Serves 4 very hungry people

Ingredients
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
3 chorizo sausages, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red onion, finely chopped
200g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons roughly chopped oregano
2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, plus extra leaves, to serve
120g (1 cup) pitted black kalamata olives, halved
4 red bird’s-eye chillies, seeded, finely chopped
2x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
400g long macaroni or other tubular pasta
1 1/2 cups wild rocket, plus extra leaves to serve
25g (1/3 cup) finely grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Method
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook chorizo, stirring, for 2 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms, oregano, basil and half each of the olives and chillies. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until onion has softened. Stir in tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Reserve pan.

Return pasta to pan and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the tomato sauce, rocket and parmesan, and toss well to combine.

Divide pasta among bowls, then top with the remaining olives and chillies. Scatter with extra basil, rocket and parmesan, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve.