← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 350 g penne rigate or short pasta
• 350 g Italian pork sausages, skins removed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• 80 ml dry white wine
• 200 g ricotta (or 150 ml cream)
• 50 g Pecorino romano, grated
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• a little grated nutmeg
• Black pepper
• Salt

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
2. Warm the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and soften the onion and garlic for 5 min.
3. Add the sausage meat and break it into small crumbs with a wooden spoon. Fry for 6–8 min until browned all over.
4. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for 2 min. Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente.
5. Turn the heat to low, stir the ricotta, nutmeg and a ladle of pasta water into the sausage to make a loose creamy sauce.
6. Drain the pasta, add it to the pan with half the pecorino and toss well, loosening with more pasta water if needed. Serve with the rest of the pecorino and black pepper.

Tips

• In Norcia they shave black truffle over the top; a few drops of truffle oil is a cheap nod to it.
• Choose plain pork sausages with no fennel or chilli to keep the classic flavour.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

GialloZafferano Pasta Grammar