Jamie's Sausage Fusilli and Homemade Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream

Though I haven't posted anything in a good while, I have been making some really great meals with the intension of blogging. I apologize, the summer evenings have just been FAR too nice to sit in front of a computer for the time it takes to post!
This is it. This is the day of epic blogging!
Here's the first of the many missed meals...a couple of them pasta, but really, who doesn't love pasta?

Also, I read some really great recipes in Chatelaine this summer for ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet, so I just had to get myself an ice cream maker. The following recipe is from the instruction manual of my little half-pint,

Jamie Oliver's Proper Blokes Sausage Fusilli

• 2 heaped teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 dried red chillies, crumbled
• olive oil
• 600g good-quality coarse Italian or Cumberland sausages
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• a wineglass of white wine
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 500g good-quality fusilli or penne
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a couple of knobs of butter
• a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

Bash up the fennel seeds and chillies in a pestle and mortar until coarsely crushed, then put to one side. 

Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins and put into the pan, really breaking it up. Fry for a few minutes until the meat starts to colour and the fat has rendered slightly, then crush it once more so it resembles coarse mince. 

Add the bashed-up fennel seeds and chillies and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes until the meat becomes crisp, golden brown and slightly caramelized.
Stir in your oregano, then pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by half. 
Add the lemon zest and juice.

Turn the heat down to low while you cook your pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. When the pasta has cooked al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water, and toss it in the pan with your sausagemeat. 
Coat the pasta in all the lovely flavours then add the butter, Parmesan, chopped parsley and a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water. This will give you a lovely loose, shiny sauce. 

Taste and check for seasoning, then serve immediately with a little extra grated Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

Homemade Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream

My Half Pint Maker

4 tsp cocoa
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 tsp vanilla extract 
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine cocoa and sugar and stir to mix. Add a small amount of half-and-half and mix.

Add remaining half-and-half and vanilla. Stir untill well mixed. Add to chilled bowl.

Once mixture starts to thicken in ice cream maker (approx. 8-10 minutes) add in pecans. 

Continue churning for another 5-10 minutes.