We are celebrating this week. Our family business Valvona & Crolla, trading since 1934, is listed in The 50 Greatest Food Stores of the World by the Financial Times.

It celebrates our iconic Fonteluna spicy sausage as one of our key products. Its secret recipe is held only by four family members. The sausage is made with 100% coarse-cut pure pork meat and fat, seasoned and

air-dried for 30 days. The recipe has been handed down over five generations.

Here is Philip’s Famous Fonteluna Sugo – our family’s favourite for Sunday lunch.

Ingredients

1 x 800g Rega San Marzano tomatoes (or 2 x 400g)

2 fresh bay leaves

2 teaspoons sea salt

3-4 tablespoons Fior Fiore extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Half Fonteluna sausage (180g)

Method

Prepare the tomatoes. Use a sharp knife to remove the stalk root at the top of each of the tomatoes and hand crush the pulp into a bowl.

Fill the empty tin a quarter full of warm water and rinse the tin of any extra juices. Add this liquid to the bowl.

Tear the bay leaves in half and add them and the salt to the tomatoes.

Set aside to infuse the flavours.

Use a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan with lid.

Add enough Fior Fiore extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the saucepan and begin to warm through. Add the onion, turn in the oil. Allow to soften gently for two minutes.

Add the chopped garlic, turn this in the oil and with the lid on the pot, very gently steam the onion and garlic for about 6-7 minutes until the onion is softened and translucent.

Do not burn the garlic.

Meanwhile, rinse the Fonteluna sausage in warm water so that the outer casing can be easily removed.

Slice finely and add to the onions and garlic, continue sautéing gently until the spices turn the oil a deep orange colour.

At this stage turn up the heat and immediately add the tomatoes, stirring to ensure tomatoes and oil are completely blended.

Cook on a very high heat for 10 minutes to amalgamate all the flavours and then turn the heat to a simmer and cook very gently with the lid balanced on a wooden spoon for 40-50 minutes until the sugo has reduced by a third. Check seasoning.

Use a 500g pkt of De Cecco Rigatoni and serve with a mountain of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

All ingredients are available from Valvona & Crolla.