The slow cooker is the cold, dark winter months' best friend... which is why I have decided to create a whole category dedicated to it, because let's face it, a slow-cooked meal is the ultimate comfort home cooking. This pasta dish is another hug in a bowl, and a delight to walk in the front door smelling with only some pasta to cook before you can dig in. A lovely tomato-based pasta, with a sweet and creamy undertone.

Serves: 2-3

Cooking time: 15 minutes + 6-12 hours slow cooking

Ingredients:

• 6 Caramelised Onion Sausages
• 1 Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• 500 ml Chicken Stock
• 100 ml Red Wine
• 150 ml Milk
• 1 tsp Marmite
• Dash of Worcester Sauce
• 2 or 3 tsp Demerara Sugar
• 3 Sprigs of Rosemary
• 3 Sage Leaves
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 175 g Rigatoni Mezzi Pasta
• 1 tbsp Cornflour
• Parmesan to serve

Instructions:

1. Start off by finely chopping the onions and slowly softening them with some oil in a frying pan. Crush the garlic and add to the pan.
2. Meanwhile, slice down the side of the sausage skin and remove, leaving just the sausage meat. Roughly pull this apart into meatball-sized pieces.
3. Once the onions have softened (around 7 mins), transfer them to the slow cooker pot.
4. Return the pan to the heat and add the broken-up sausage. Cook until it just begins to brown, then combine with the onions in the slow cooker.
5. Now, add the tinned tomatoes, chicken stock, wine, and milk to the slow cooker, stirring everything together.
6. Add the Marmite, Worcester sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper, sprigs of rosemary and sage leaves. Stir well before covering with the lid.
7. Set the slow cooker on low heat and let it cook for anywhere between 6-12 hours.
8. Once ready to serve, boil a pan of water with a bit of salt and oil for the pasta.
9. Take the cornflour and mix with some of the ragu sauce in a ramekin to form paste before adding back into the slow cooker to thicken up, leaving the lid off.
10. Cook the pasta as per the packet's instructions, adding 2 tbsp of the pasta water to the ragu.
11. While the ragu thickens, use a fork to mash the sausage pieces slightly.
12. Once the pasta is ready, mix it into the ragu.

Serving Note: Serve the pasta in bowls topped generously with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy with a large glass of red wine while listening to George Ezra's "Staying at Tamara's" album.