Pasta alla Norcina – Delicious Pasta with Fresh Pork Sausage from Umbria

Our dear friends Claudia and Chiara shared this tasty, robust and traditional Pasta alla Norcia from Umbria, a region of central Italy with us. The name of this dish comes from Norcia – Nursia, a charming town known for one of the best sausages in Italy, for the black truffle, for Castelluccio di Norcia lentils, for the beautiful scenery of unspoiled nature and historical monuments.
If you happen to be there don’t forget to visit a norcineria, a grocery shop where you can buy or taste pork cured meat made by expert local butchers.
Here in Copenhagen we found fresh Italian sausage from Ca – take away (Rebekkavej 49, Hellerup 2900)

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings:

320 g pasta, (penne or rigatoni)

400 g fresh Italian pork sausage

20 g butter

200g cooking cream

fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, to taste

salt and fresh grounded pepper, to taste

Remove the gut from the sausages and crumble them. Put a large pan on medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Then add the crumbled sausages, and during cooking, with a wooden spoon, mix to prevent the meat from burning and sticking to the pan. Let sauté at medium heat until all the meat is browned. If the sausages are tasteless add salt and pepper. Pour the cooking cream in the pan with the sausages and bring it to a gentle simmer. Let it reduce (3–4 minutes) and turn off the heat.

Fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. When it is boiling, add salt and pasta. Check the cooking time on the pasta box.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and pour it in the pan with the sauce. Place the pan over a low heat and gently toss well. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a bit of cooking water. Finish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.

Tips: enjoy this pasta dish with a glass of Rosso di Montefalco or Ciliegiolo red wine.