Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

10 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
560g pack Coles Italian style pork sausages (or just your fave flavour of sausage - from where-ever you shop)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
500g rigatoni pasta


Preheat oven to 375 degrees . (My oven only goes to 25o, but seemed to do the trick) Place tomatoes on a small baking tray and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes in oven for about 8 minutes, or until the skin begins to split. Remove tomatoes from the oven.


Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. While water is heating, place the remaining 1tbsp of oil in a large heavy saute pan over medium heat.


Add sausages and cook over moderate heat for 7-8 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Remove sausages from pan and allow to cool. Slice sausages into 3cm discs. Place garlic in the pan and saute for 1 minute or until tender. Add the tomatoes and sausages and saute for 3 minutes. Add the olives and toss gently. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the parsley.


Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the salted boiling water for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss in the pan with the sauce. Seas the past a to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to plates and serve.


SERVES 4

Pepper steak with roasted vegetables

250g pumpkin, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces

450g baby new potatoes, halved

1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges

2 small carrots, cut into 3cm pieces

1 medium red capsicum, cut into 3cm pieces

4 x 125g beef fillet steaks

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1/2 cup (120g) Sour Cream

2 tbs bottled green peppercorns, drained, slightly crushed

1 tsp corn flour

2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives

1/ preheat oven to 180C (fan forced). Place pumpkin, potatoes, onion, carrot and capsicum in a large baking dish. Spray with oil and toss to coat. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until golden and tender.

2. Meanwhile, spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with cracked pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Rest beef for 5 minutes before slicing thickly.

3. Add sour cream and green peppercorns to pan. Stir until sauce is hot. Blend corn flour with 2 tsp water in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Stir corn flour mixture  into sauce. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in chives.

4. Arrange steak on a serving plate and drizzle with pepper sauce. Serve with roasted vegetables.