Pasta alla Norcina (Creamy Pasta With Sausage)

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Pasta alla Norcina (Creamy Pasta With Sausage)

The Umbrian town of Norcia is famous for its pork, and it has a rich tradition of sausage- and salumi-making. Unlike "Italian" sausage commonly available in the States, the salsiccia di Norcia used in pasta alla norcina isn't seasoned with intensely aromatic fennel seeds or red pepper flakes. It's a milder sausage, made with garlic, white wine, salt, pepper, and, sometimes, a touch of grated nutmeg. It's cool-weather sausage, not summer cookout links.

An easy homemade pork sausage is the key to this creamy, hearty Umbrian pasta. Black pepper and nutmeg give this pasta a hint of warm spice, balanced by savory sausage and Pecorino Romano.

Servings:

Calories: 1162kcal

Author: Serious Eats

Ingredients

For the Sausage Mixture:

16 ounces coarsely ground pork (450 g), chilled (see note)
2 medium cloves garlic (11 g), minced
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (8 g)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (3 g)
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
8 teaspoons dry white wine (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, 40 ml), chilled

For the Pasta:

1 recipe sausage mixture from above, or 16 ounces (450 g) fresh pork sausage (5 links), removed from casing (see note)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30 ml)
1 medium yellow onion (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 g) finely chopped
⅔ cup dry white wine (160 ml)
1-⅓ cup heavy cream (320 ml)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces dried penne (450 g), or another short, tubular pasta such as rigatoni, or long fresh egg-dough pasta such as tagliatelle or fettuccine
2 ounces 60 g finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for serving
freshly grated nutmeg for serving
freshly shaved black truffle or grated, for serving (optional; see note)

Instructions

For the Sausage Mix:

Combine the pork, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on low speed until the seasonings are evenly incorporated, about 1 minute.
Add the wine, increase speed to medium, and mix until the wine is incorporated and the mixture becomes tacky and sticky, 1 to 2 minutes.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

For the Pasta:

When ready to cook, remove the sausage mixture from the refrigerator and, using clean hands, form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties (don't worry about making them perfectly round as they will get broken up into smaller pieces; if using store-bought sausage, form uncased sausages into 1/2-inch-thick patties).
In a large skillet or straight-sided sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the sausage patties and cook until the bottom side is light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Using a thin metal spatula, turn the sausage patties onto the uncooked side, leaving an open area in the center of the skillet.
Add the onion, lower the heat to medium, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces, until the sausage is just cooked through and the onion is softened, about 2 minutes; lower heat at any point if sausage or onion threaten to scorch.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine.
Bring to a simmer and cook, swirling the pan and scraping up any stuck-on bits with a wooden spoon, until the wine is reduced by roughly half, about 30 seconds.
Add the cream, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently to keep the cream from scorching on the sides of the pan, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to keep the sauce warm and prevent it from over-reducing.

Cook the pasta:

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted water, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package directs).
Using a spider skimmer, transfer the pasta to the sauce, along with 2/3 cup (160ml) of pasta cooking water. Alternatively, drain the pasta using a colander or fine-mesh strainer, making sure to reserve at least 1 cup (240ml) of pasta cooking water.

Finish and serve

Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring and tossing rapidly, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is thickened and coats the noodles and pools around the edges of the pan, about 2 minutes; add more pasta cooking water in 1/4-cup (60ml) increments as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Remove from the heat, add the Pecorino Romano, and stir rapidly to incorporate.
Divide between warmed serving bowls, top each portion with a grinding of black pepper, grated nutmeg, cheese, and truffle (if using).
Serve immediately.

Notes

Coarsely ground pork shoulder is ideal for this recipe, if your butcher counter takes requests. Keep the meat as cold as possible when preparing the sausage mix to prevent fat from breaking during cooking; only take the meat out of refrigeration when all of the other ingredients for the sausage are measured out and you are ready to mix.
The traditional Norcia-style sausage used for this pasta does not feature the fennel seed or red pepper flakes commonly added to "Italian" sausage here in the States. Therefore, this pasta is at its best when made with the homemade, shortcut sausage mixture outlined in this recipe. However, if you prefer to use store-bought sausages, you'll still end up with tasty results. Fresh Italian-style garlic sausage is ideal, but sweet Italian sausage will work fine.
In Umbria, this pasta is traditionally finished with shaved fresh black truffles when they are in season (fall and early winter), but it's also common to serve this dish without truffles when they're unavailable or out of season. It's delicious either way. If you are looking to go all-out with the truffle version, use fresh black truffles. We don't recommend using truffle oil, which isn't made from real truffles and has a synthetic aroma.

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