Spaghetti aglio e olio, originally from southern Italy and in its simplest form just pasta with garlic and olive oil, has been given a unique twist with the addition of lamb merguez and chicken stock in this recipe from Daniel Kenney of Dahlia in Vancouver. The spiciness of the lamb sausage and the richness brought by the chicken stock make this a substantial weeknight meal for the winter.

Lamb Merguez Aglio e Olio

Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

40 grams salt

200 grams pasta of choice, preferably a long noodle

1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking

2 tablespoons roasted garlic

1 tablespoon shallot

115 grams ground lamb merguez

1 piece of broccolini or greens of choice, chopped

50 millilitres chicken stock

1 teaspoon chili oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 small chunk Grana Padano

5 grams parsley, chopped

Olive oil, to finish

Method

Fill a large pot with water and add the salt.

Bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Pasta typically takes 7-12 minutes, depending on the cut.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pan, cook the olive oil, garlic, and shallot over medium heat for 2 minutes, using a spatula to move the ingredients.

After 2 minutes, add the ground lamb merguez sausage and broccolini. Cook for another 3 minutes, releasing the fat and chili from the sausage.

Add the chicken stock, chili oil, and lemon juice. Lower to medium-low heat and cook until the chicken stock is reduced by half.

Set the pan aside and drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of pasta water.

Add the pasta to the pan and toss over low heat, adding the pasta water and freshly grated Grana Padano and parsley, until the pasta emulsifies.

Plate the pasta in two bowls using tongs.

Grate more Grana Padano to your liking and drizzle a little olive oil to finish.