NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Eat Well / Recipes

Tomato and pork sausage ragu

Kieran Scott

Bite
By Kieran Scott

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

My brother and I were educated in different directions. I travelled north. Paul went southeast to boarding school in Oamaru.

It seemed exotic; driving up the one-lane road to his school gates filled me with excitement. It’s what I imagined arriving at the Vatican City might be like. All those beautiful stone buildings, tall church spires and wooded hills. The grounds of the school in the late afternoon light shone emerald green and the thin vertical silhouettes of the Marist Brothers and schoolboys gliding along, transformed it into one of those abstract paintings I’d seen in books neatly stacked in the art room at my school.

Driving home in the winter after dropping Paul off for another term would take you from soft pink dusk to darkness. I would lie on the back seat of the family Holden and stare out of the oversized back window at the sky, watching the stars slowly appear. My Dad would drive silently with just the radio murmuring a cricket broadcast from a sunny morning in England or the scratchings from the last race at Addington.

My school was a day school. It was just as far away from home as my brother’s, but we went every day by bus. 5 years staring out oversized windows at a landscape that barely changed. I loved my school because it was my father’s school. I could trace his short journey from ruddy cheeked boy to angular rugby forward in the old school photos that hung in the corridor. I would put a sticky index finger over his face telling whoever was standing still long enough to hear that that was my dad, right there, leaving a fingerprint shroud over his face for him to stare out of. A screenprint of our shared DNA.

Recently I made a journey with my son that reminded me of those things we remember — some wonderful and others not so. I realised we can give memories, things that affect the way we travel through life and it’s no easy task getting the recipe right.

My son and I cooked, camped and journeyed our way to the other end of the country and then I left him there to exercise his right of being an adult. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The airlock we created in the cabin of our car and in the tent that we shared at night burst open and spilled its purified self on to the pavement outside his college. A memory.

But if I ever want to step back to the time we spent on the road together, all I need to do is cook. I’ll make something he made me. Something he makes very well and has, I’m sure, become part of our family’s shared DNA. A beautiful tomato and pork sausage ragu, savoury, sharp and built in one pot over a gas burner. Maybe one day he’ll walk down the isle of a supermarket and press his finger on a can of crushed Italian tomatoes and say to whoever might be by his side, “Hey, that’s my dad, right there.’’

Ingredients

6Tomatoes, medium plum (Main)
1Red pepper, large
1Garlic head
1Onion, large
1 to drizzleOlive oil
2 sprigsThyme
1 pinchChilli flakes, or to taste
6Pork sausages (Main)
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Directions

The kitchen version

  1. Chop the tomatoes and peppers to roughly the same size, halve the bulb of garlic and place them all in a roasting dish. Drizzle over some olive oil, sprinkle on thyme leaves and salt and roast in a hot oven until everything is well cooked — even a wee bit charred.
  2. Put the peppers and tomatoes in a bowl and squeeze in the garlic pulp. Mash it all together or blitz in a food processor.
  3. Fry the onion gently in olive oil. Add chilli flakes and squeeze the pork meat from its casings in tablespoon sized lumps into the pan. Fry until golden. Add the tomato mixture, season to taste and simmer.
  4. Serve over cooked spaghetti with grated parmesan.

For the one-pot camping version

Disregard the oven roasting step and add a tin of crushed tomatoes to the onion and sausage mixture when cooked. Simmer and serve on a tin plate and bask in the warm afterglow of some distant wonderfully rewritten memory.

Related recipes

Tomato, chervil and white bean salad

Tomato, chervil and white bean salad

Baked goat cheese with tomatoes, thyme, rocket and sweet vinegar

Baked goat cheese with tomatoes, thyme, rocket and sweet vinegar

Save

    Share this article

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest Recipes

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease
Food News

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease

Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal
Food News

Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal

Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home
Food News

Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home

Camping meals for a Kiwi summer
Food News

Camping meals for a Kiwi summer

The best produce to eat in January and February
Food News

The best produce to eat in January and February

Take it outside: How to eat alfresco without any fuss
Food News

Take it outside: How to eat alfresco without any fuss

Latest Food News

Why your shopping habits reveal more than you think
Food News

Why your shopping habits reveal more than you think

29 May 11:25 PM
Premium
Why your child is a picky eater - and what parents can do about it
Food News

Why your child is a picky eater - and what parents can do about it

22 May 09:35 PM
Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease
Food News

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease

16 May 12:00 AM
Is kimchi ice cream the cool new food trend?
Food News

Is kimchi ice cream the cool new food trend?

24 Jan 01:17 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Collections you may like

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast
Eatwell

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast

25 Dec 05:00 PM

The best dishes for an outdoor excursion.

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning
Eatwell

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning

21 Dec 06:00 PM

Start Christmas morning off the right way by choosing from our breakfast collection.

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023
Eatwell

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023

21 Dec 04:00 PM

Wow your guests with this collection of party recipes.

Christmas: Edible gift ideas
Eatwell

Christmas: Edible gift ideas

10 Dec 02:00 AM

Give the gift of delicious food this Christmas.

Cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw and walnut romesco recipe
Eatwell

Cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw and walnut romesco recipe

18 Jun 01:03 AM

These tacos are packed with flavour and super simple.

Lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup for your slow cooker
Eatwell

Lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup for your slow cooker

10 Jun 02:00 AM

Gluten free, vegan and full of vibrant flavour.

Baking with feijoa
Eatwell

Baking with feijoa

08 Apr 11:04 PM

Feijoa season is upon us, so get baking with these cake, muffin and slice recipes.

30-minute 5-ingredient meals
Eatwell

30-minute 5-ingredient meals

03 Apr 12:52 AM

Quick and simple meal solutions, for when you need dinner on the table in a hurry

Autumn desserts
Eatwell

Autumn desserts

03 Apr 12:51 AM

Cooler temperatures mean it's time for warmer desserts

Dinner dash recipes
Eatwell

Dinner dash recipes

03 Apr 12:51 AM

Quick and easy is the key to getting dinner on the table in a flash

Can't get apples? 25 canned and frozen fruit recipes
Eatwell

Can't get apples? 25 canned and frozen fruit recipes

17 Jan 11:00 PM

Dodge the fresh fruit shortage, using frozen goods in these recipes to get your sweet fix.

How to use up your leftover ham this Christmas
Eatwell

How to use up your leftover ham this Christmas

25 Dec 05:30 PM

Get creative with your leftover ham by trying these recipes designed for any time of day.

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast
Eatwell

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast

25 Dec 05:00 PM

The best dishes for an outdoor excursion.

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning
Eatwell

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning

21 Dec 06:00 PM

Start Christmas morning off the right way by choosing from our breakfast collection.

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023
Eatwell

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023

21 Dec 04:00 PM

Wow your guests with this collection of party recipes.

Christmas: Edible gift ideas
Eatwell

Christmas: Edible gift ideas

10 Dec 02:00 AM

Give the gift of delicious food this Christmas.

Cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw and walnut romesco recipe
Eatwell

Cauliflower tacos with cabbage slaw and walnut romesco recipe

18 Jun 01:03 AM

These tacos are packed with flavour and super simple.

Lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup for your slow cooker
Eatwell

Lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle soup for your slow cooker

10 Jun 02:00 AM

Gluten free, vegan and full of vibrant flavour.

Baking with feijoa
Eatwell

Baking with feijoa

08 Apr 11:04 PM

Feijoa season is upon us, so get baking with these cake, muffin and slice recipes.

30-minute 5-ingredient meals
Eatwell

30-minute 5-ingredient meals

03 Apr 12:52 AM

Quick and simple meal solutions, for when you need dinner on the table in a hurry

Autumn desserts
Eatwell

Autumn desserts

03 Apr 12:51 AM

Cooler temperatures mean it's time for warmer desserts

Dinner dash recipes
Eatwell

Dinner dash recipes

03 Apr 12:51 AM

Quick and easy is the key to getting dinner on the table in a flash

Can't get apples? 25 canned and frozen fruit recipes
Eatwell

Can't get apples? 25 canned and frozen fruit recipes

17 Jan 11:00 PM

Dodge the fresh fruit shortage, using frozen goods in these recipes to get your sweet fix.

How to use up your leftover ham this Christmas
Eatwell

How to use up your leftover ham this Christmas

25 Dec 05:30 PM

Get creative with your leftover ham by trying these recipes designed for any time of day.

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast
Eatwell

Picnic recipes for your next summer feast

25 Dec 05:00 PM

The best dishes for an outdoor excursion.

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning
Eatwell

Breakfast recipes for Christmas morning

21 Dec 06:00 PM

Start Christmas morning off the right way by choosing from our breakfast collection.

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023
Eatwell

Best party bite recipes for Christmas 2023

21 Dec 04:00 PM

Wow your guests with this collection of party recipes.

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP