Recipes
Pecorara pasta
Let's discover a typical Abruzzo product, pecorara pasta, a particular ring shape seasoned with vegetables.
It is impossible to keep track of all the pasta shapes of our tradition, especially those that struggle to leave regional borders. Among these is pasta alla pecorara, a typical dish of traditional Abruzzo cuisine which takes its name from the particular shape of pasta used for its preparation.
These are rings of semolina or flour , larger than 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 some green olives is also excellent.
Preparation
Pecorara pasta
First, dedicate yourself to preparing the pasta. Combine the flour with the water in a bowl, pouring it little at a time, and knead until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes under an upside down bowl.
In the meantime, work on the sauce. Coarsely chop the onion , wash the pepper , remove the stem, seeds and internal filaments and cut it into 1 cm pieces. Cut courgettes and aubergines in the same way after washing them and removing the ends.
In a pan, brown the bacon in the 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 . Leave to cook for 30 minutes until you obtain a thin sauce.
Then transfer it into a large bowl and mix it with the ricotta .
While the sauce is cooking, continue with the pasta. Remove small portions and form a loaf half a centimeter thick. Close it to form a ring about the size of a 2 euro coin, cut the cord and continue in this way until you run out of dough.
Cook them in plenty of salted water for 5 minutes, then drain them with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce, flavoring with fresh basil chopped with your hands. Complete with a sprinkling of pecorino before serving.
We leave you a few seconds of video that show how to make this particular pasta shape.
However, we invite you to try another Abruzzo recipe, the legendary fried pizza .
Conservation
Pasta alla pecorara should be consumed at the moment . However, you can keep the pasta to be cooked separately, spread out on a floured tray, and the seasoning and only proceed to cooking it last.
Pasta alla pecorara: history
The origins of this dish are lost over time but the name already suggests its peasant origins. As mentioned at the beginning, however, this derives from the pasta shape while as regards the seasoning it is difficult to get even two families to agree.
Vegetables certainly cannot be missing, the same ones we used, while as for the 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.
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