Spaghetti Napolitan

Ingredients

• 320 g spaghetti, ideally 2 mm thick
• 6 frankfurter or wiener sausages, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 onion, sliced 5 mm thick
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced into rings
• 150 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 40 g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 7 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp grated Parmesan
• Tabasco, to serve

Before you cook

• Slice the sausages on a steep diagonal.
• Slice the onion, mushrooms and green pepper.
• Measure the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, milk and sugar into one small bowl.
• Grate the Parmesan.

Steps

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
2. Cook the spaghetti for 3 minutes longer than the packet says, so it is properly soft.
3. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a mug of the cooking water.
4. Toss the drained spaghetti with the olive oil and leave it to sit for 5 minutes, which is the trick that gives Napolitan its particular slack, chewy texture.
5. Melt 20 g of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
6. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, until softened.
7. Add the sausages and fry for 3 minutes, until their cut edges brown.
8. Add the mushrooms and green pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Push everything to one side and tip the ketchup mixture into the bare part of the pan.
10. Let the ketchup bubble and darken on its own for 1 minute.
11. Stir the sauce through the vegetables and sausages.
12. Add the spaghetti and toss hard for 2 minutes, adding a splash of the reserved water if it looks dry.
13. Season with the salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining butter to gloss the sauce.
14. Divide between four warmed plates and dust heavily with Parmesan.
15. Put the Tabasco on the table and serve.