Sausage Vodka Orzo

The first recipe from my Spooning series - food you can get cosy on the sofa with and eat with a spoon

January is undoubtedly one of the hardest months of the year, with everyone having spent all their money on Christmas festivities and it being very, very dark outside. I encourage you all to go incredibly gently on yourselves, and cook lots of meals that nourish the soul and make you feel good as an antidote to the January blues during this time. It is the perfect month for nesting on the sofa! This creamy sausage pasta really hits the spot on cold winter nights - you can easily adapt it to be veggie or vegan too, so nobody need miss out on the joy of it.

Serves 2

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 sausages

220g orzo

100g tomato pureé

50ml vodka

150ml double cream

1 tsp chilli oil (I like the White Mausu Smoky Chilli one)

75g parmesan

handful of basil leaves

salt, pepper and olive oil

1. Peel and finely chop your onion and garlic.

2. Heat a sauté pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Squeeze your sausage meat out of the skins and into the pan. Fry this for about 5 minutes, breaking up the sausages with the side of your wooden spoon to mince-like texture.

3. Remove your sausage meat from the pan with a slotted spoon once they are really crispy. Add another 2 tbsp of olive oil, then add your onion to the pan, and cook it gently for 20 minutes until it has totally softened.

4. Cook your orzo in salted water until it is al dente, about 7 minutes.

5. Add your garlic to the pan, as well as your tomato pureé. Cook this out over a medium heat for 5 minutes. You tomato puree should darken, and start to get stuck to the base of the pan.

6. Pour your vodka into the pan, and scrape the base to deglaze it and get any nice caramelised bits off the base. Pour in your cream, chilli oil and sausage meat, and bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Add a little pasta water to the pan, then drain your orzo and tip this in. Add as much pasta water as you need to get it loosy goosy, then grate in your parmesan. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Spoon your orzo into bowls, and top it with another drizzle of chilli oil, parmesan and some fresh basil leaves. Serve it up.