Festoni with Sausage, Mozzarella and Tomato

Start off by putting the pasta in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of salted boiling water.

Place it on the heat and cook for exactly 10 minutes. While that’s happening, put the sausages on a baking sheet under a pre-heated grill and cook for 5-7 minutes till they have browned a little. After that slice them into ½ inch rounds, and start to pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F, 200°C.

Next drain the pasta and when it is cool enough to handle, arrange one layer of it in the bottom of the baking dish (loosely – don’t worry about any gaps). Then scatter half the mozzarella, half the sausage and half the basil leaves over the top, along with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Now spread half the tomato and basil sauce over these. Arrange another layer of pasta over than, then scatter in the rest of the mozzarella, sausage and basil. Season again and spread the rest of the sauce over, then arrange the final layer of pasta on the top and drizzle about a dessertspoon of olive oil over it all. Finally scatter the grated parmesan over the surface and place the dish in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

This is nice served with a well-dressed salad.