italian suitcase: brit style malloreddus

I do miss Sardinia, a blue monday feeling that is in reality a week long! Malloreddus alla Campidanese is a typical sardinian past dish. The pasta has a shell shape and the meat is simply a fennel sausage. It originates from the fertile flatlands north of Cagliari, called Campidano, hence the name. It's pretty difficult to find the Sardinian sausage here in London; veal/lamb meatballs with a generous hint of fennel seeds can be a good substitute.

Ingredients (serves 4):
300g veal meatballs (lamb will have a more rustic meaty taste)
700g chopped tomatoes
1 glass of red wine
15/20g fennel seeds
1/2 shallot
EVO oil
salt & pepper to taste

320g malloreddus (80g per person)

Preparation:
Finely chop the shallot and preheat a frying pan with some EVO oil. Add the shallot and fennel seeds, let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Roll in the meatballs and once the outer meat is cooked add the wine and roughly split the each meatball into 4 to 6 parts. Turn up the heat at full whack until the alcohol evaporates. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, grind salt and pepper to taste and cover with a lid for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce is ready when it has a creamy texture.

In the meantime, prepare the malloreddus accordingly to packaging instruction - usually 15/18 min cooking time in boiling salted water.
Drain the pasta and pan-fry in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve immediately with a very generous handful of grated pecorino.