Pecorara pasta with ricotta, a typical dish from Abruzzo

Let's go to the discovery of a typical Abruzzo product, the pecorara pasta, a particular ring shape seasoned with vegetables.

It is impossible to take into account all the pasta shapes of our tradition, especially those that struggle to get out of regional borders. Among these is the pecorara pasta, a typical dish of traditional Abruzzo cuisine that takes its name from the particular pasta shape used for its preparation.

These are rings of semolina or flour , larger than the anelletti, seasoned with a sauce based on summer vegetables , tomato sauce , basil , bacon and ricotta . It is also possible to prepare them in a vegetarian version by omitting the meat and replacing it with dried mushrooms. The idea of ​​adding green olives is also excellent.

How to prepare the pecorara pasta recipe

1. First of all, dedicate yourself to the preparation of the pasta . Combine the flour with the water in a bowl, pouring it a little at a time, and knead until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes under an inverted bowl.
2. In the meantime, dedicate yourself to the sauce. Coarsely chop the onion, wash the pepper, remove the stalk, seeds and internal filaments and cut into 1 cm pieces. Cut courgettes and aubergines in the same way after washing them and removing the ends.
3. In a pan , brown the bacon with oil then add the vegetables in the following order: first the peppers and after 5 minutes the aubergines, courgettes and onion. Cook over high heat, adding salt, for 5 minutes then pour in the tomato puree. Let it cook for 30 minutes until you get a narrow sauce.
4. Then transfer it to a large bowl and mix it with the ricotta .
5. While the sauce is cooking, continue with the pasta. Detach small portions and form a loaf of half a centimeter thick. Close it to form a ring about the size of a 2 euro coin , cut the cord and continue like this until the dough is finished.
6. Cook them in abundant salted water for 5 minutes then drain them with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce, perfuming with the fresh basil chopped with your hands.
7. Complete with a sprinkling of pecorino cheese before serving.

Pecorara pasta: history

The origins of this dish are lost in time but the name already suggests its peasant origin. As mentioned at the beginning, however, this derives from the pasta shape while as regards the sauce it is difficult to agree even just two families.

Certainly, vegetables cannot be missing, the same ones we used, while as regards meat some use minced sheep , others that of beef. Whatever recipe you decide to follow, this fresh ring pasta will repay you for the time dedicated to its preparation.

However, we invite you to try another Abruzzo recipe, the legendary fried pizza .

storage

Pecorara pasta should be eaten at the moment . However, you can keep the pasta to be cooked separately, spread out on a floured tray, and the sauce and proceed only to cook it last.

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