Pasta alla Norcina is the finest combination of quality ingredients that come together to dance on your plate in a recipe that hails from the Umbrian town of Norcia. A place known for its pork products, the hero of this dish can be no other than the sausage cooked in a cream-based sauce created using ricotta and given an extra kick with white wine and truffle. Did I mention the Parmigiano Reggiano? Add as much as you like and make sure the pasta is al dente.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces artisan Italian sausages - 250g (3 sausages)
- 8 ounces rigatoni - 250g (or another short pasta ie: mezze maniche, penne)
- 7 ounces ricotta - sheep's milk preferred, 200g (or heavy cream)
- ½ chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon water - to keep garlic and onion from burning
- 2 tablespoons parmigiano Reggiano - or pecorino romano cheese
- 1 fresh truffle - or truffle oil
- 1 cup white wine
- extra virgin olive oil - EVOO
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon rock salt - for boiling the pasta
Instructions
Cook the aromatics:
- This pasta alla norcina is all about the region of Umbria; I’m even starting with extra virgin olive oil from Umbria to celebrate. Add a generous amount to a pan (about four tablespoons) on medium heat.
- Next, add your onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to brown slightly – stir frequently.
- Using a garlic press, crush the garlic into the onion, stir, then add one tablespoon of water. Cook for another two minutes. Adding a splash of water ensures the onion and garlic don’t burn for the pasta alla norcina.
Brown the sausage:
- Put a slit down the middle of each sausage and remove the skin. Then press down on each one using a fork.
- Add the squashed sausages into the pan and use the fork or a wooden spoon to separate the mince as quickly as you can as it will start to cook through right away (it will become much harder so break the mince down once it is cooked!).
Cook the pasta:
- Add 5 quarts of water to a large pot, and once the water boils, add one tablespoon of rock salt, and stir to dissolve.
- Then, add the rigatoni to the salted boiling water, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions; mine took 13 minutes.
Add the wine and season:
- Once the sausage meat is browned, add the white wine to your mixture.
- Add a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly grated black pepper.
Make the Pasta alla Norcina sauce:
- Grab a mug of pasta water and set it aside for the Pasta alla Norcina sauce.
- Next, add your fresh ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and squash it down with a fork.
- Then combine Parmigiano Reggiano/grated pecorino cheese, 4 tablespoons of pasta water, and mix.
- If you need more pasta water, you can add a few more tablespoons until you get a nice, creamy texture. Now you have the cream for your pasta alla norcina!
- There should be very little liquid left in the meat mixture. Break up the sausage more into smaller pieces if you can and make sure it’s cooked through too.
- Add the ricotta cream to the meat mixture and stir.
- Grate about 1/3 of the truffle into the sauce, or drizzle with truffle oil. As the sauce cooks, the truffle flavor will release – as will the smell!
Add the pasta and stir and toss:
- Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce, adding about four tablespoons of pasta water and continue to stir.
- Here’s my favorite part – tossing the pasta. This helps combine all the ingredients for the pasta alla norcina.
- norcina pasta recipe
Serve:
- Now your creamy, rich pasta alla norcina is ready to serve! Add a serving of this pasta dish to a plate, making sure to get extra sauce and sausage on top (the best part!).
- The only thing missing is the extra truffle. Shave the desired amount on top, and it’s ready to eat. Now you have pasta alla norcina, the authentic Umbrian way.