Sausage spaghetti hoops on toast

Method

1. Put a large saucepan over a low-medium heat and pour in a glug of olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery, then cook, stirring, for 15 minutes until softened but not coloured. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins and add to the pan, breaking it up into small chunks with a wooden spoon. Turn up the heat a little and fry for 10 minutes until the sausage is brown and starting to crisp. Add the fennel seeds to the pan.
2. After a few minutes add the tomato purée, then the passata and 300ml water. Season well with salt and pepper and turn up the heat to high. When it comes to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to gently bubble away for 20 minutes until rich and thickened. Stir in the sugar, add the vinegar, then taste, adding more seasoning/vinegar as needed.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then cook the pasta for 4-5 minutes or until just al dente (if using vermicelli, break the pasta into small pieces first). Drain the pasta, reserving 400ml of the cooking water, then
   add the pasta to the sausage sauce and stir in well. If the sauce has thickened too much, loosen with the pasta water (it will thicken as it cools, so keep the jug to one side; see Make Ahead).
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4. To serve, cut the loaf into thick slices and pop in the toaster. Butter generously, then serve topped with the spaghetti hoops. Finish with coarsely grated cheddar, if you like.