Pasta alla Norcina

 

Next time you are in Umbria, Italy...take a little detour to the town of Norcia. You will want to do this because this dish was created there and you will be able to get it served up to you in just about every ristorante in town. If a trip to Italy is not on the docket, you can create this masterpiece in your own kitchen in less than 30 minutes.

It's a wonderful marriage of mild Italian sausage, black truffle shavings and a creamy white wine sauce finished with the crowning glory of Pecorino Romano cheese. Okay...there is just one problem here. Black truffle shavings will require you to sell a kidney, so I have developed a workaround for those of you not wishing to go under the knife.

Say hello to my little black truffle cheat. It's Sabatino Tartufi Truffle Zest. It's 2-ounces of black truffle flavored greatness that will only set you back $13.99 at Amazon....whereas 2-ounces of real black truffle would set you back at least a Benjamin. So you will get the great black truffle flavor used in Pasta alla Norcina without the cost. Now if you were using the real thing, you would also get the texture of the black truffle...so this recipe substitutes cremini mushrooms to duplicate the mouth feel. Made this last Wednesday for Becky and I and it was awesome! Since the recipe serves 4, we had enough left over for Thursday night's dinner, too.

INGREDIENTS

For the Sausage and Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 ounces bulk mild Italian sausage

6 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

For the Pasta and Finishing

1 pound dried, short-tubed pasta such as penne or rigatoni

2 teaspoons truffle zest

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for passing

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks. Stir often and cook until no more pink remains. 
2. Add the next 7 ingredients to the sausage and cook until the mushrooms and shallot have softened, about 4 to 5 minutes more.
3. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the wine is reduced by about half, about 1 minute. 
4. Add cream and bring to a simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese and stir to combine. Cover pan.
5. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and then drain pasta.
6.  Return the pan of sauce to medium-high heat. Add the pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time as needed to get the sauce to your desired consistency. Add truffle zest and stir to blend. Taste and adjust sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Then serve, passing the Pecorino Romano cheese for your guests to add as desired.

Wine pairing: Brunello di Montalcino