Norcina pasta

Imagine a creamy pasta rich in flavor thanks to the presence of sausage and truffle. Here, this is the norcina pasta.

Bringing a simple and quick but at the same time tasty first course to the table might seem difficult, yet pasta alla norcina contains all these characteristics. Typical of the municipality of Norcia, it is usually prepared with short pasta shapes such as penne or strangozzi and is seasoned with a sauce based on Norcia sausage, cream (or ricotta) and truffle .

The hilly territory and the harsh winter climate have pushed the inhabitants of the Umbria area to specialize in these techniques so as to be able to survive during the winter. Norcia sausage is particularly prized due to the quality raw materials used for its preparation and the particular processing technique. Curious to find out how to prepare pork butcher pasta with the original recipe?

How to prepare the norcina pasta recipe

1. To prepare the norcina pasta, begin by cooking the pasta in plenty of salted water for the time indicated on the package.
2. Separately, finely chop the onion and place it in the pan.
3. Crumble the sausage with your hands (after removing the casing) and add it to the pan, turning on the heat and cooking until it is browned.
4. Pour in the white wine and lower the heat.
5. When you no longer smell alcohol rising from the pan, add the cream and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, just long enough for it to reduce.
6. Season the pork butcher sauce with salt and pepper (only if we actually need it, the flavor of the sausage may already be enough).
7. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and sauté it in the pan with the sauce.
8. Distribute on plates and complete with grated cheese and sliced ​​black truffle , then serve.

To best enhance the flavor of the truffle , instead of adding it raw to the finished dish, you can cut it into slices and heat it in a small pan with a few tablespoons of quality oil. Then use oil and truffle to season the pasta.

If you want other ideas , try all our quick first courses : you won't regret it!

Norcina pasta with ricotta (without cream)

Preparing norcina pasta without cream should be normal. In fact, the original recipe does not include it , although this statement seems somewhat strange given that everyone prepares it this way now.

In fact, originally the pasta alla norcina was prepared with sheep's ricotta , just the right amount of flavor and able to give the dish a unique creaminess. In fact, we must not forget that when we talk about traditional recipes, the ingredients used for the preparation are those of the territory. If you want to try it in this version, use 200 grams of ricotta instead of the cream and make a cream with a ladle of the pasta cooking water emulsified with sheep's cheese.

Specifically, therefore, in addition to the Norcia sausage (which you can replace with quality pork sausage), ricotta and truffles were used, all typical ingredients of the Umbrian hills. Some versions then include the addition of mushrooms, but here we move away from the original recipe.

And here is a video recipe identical to our preparation, which in this case uses ricotta for the seasoning:

Conversely, you can prepare the classic pasta with sausage and mushrooms .

storage

The penne alla norcina can be kept in the refrigerator , well covered in cling film, for a couple of days. We recommend reheating it in a pan by adding a drizzle of oil or a little butter. Even a few spoons of milk could be useful to restore the creaminess of the dish.

Origin of the name of the norcina pasta

The name of pasta alla norcina seems to be linked to the use of sausages prepared by master butchers . During the Middle Ages, these skilled pork artisans left their hometown of Norcia during the winter to work in various areas of central Italy. During this period, Norcia and its surrounding areas enjoyed a certain prosperity that lasted until the 17th century.

However, due to numerous earthquakes, the inhabitants of the region found themselves in conditions of poverty, forcing them to abandon their homeland and move especially towards Rome . This led to the spread of the art of cured meat processing also in the capital. As a result, the skilled pork craftsmen were called pork butchers in reference to their city of origin.