Sardinian Gnocchetti with Campidanese Sauce recipe, from L.A.'s Carasau Ristorante
Vincenzo Porcu, owner of Carasau Ristorante, a Sardinian restaurant in Los Angeles, offers "Sunday Morning" viewers his recipe for a traditional pasta dish.
For more recipes check out the "Sunday Morning" 2023 "Food Issue" recipe index!
Malloreddus Pasta alla Campidanese (Sardinian Gnocchetti with Campidanese Sauce)
From Carasau Ristorante
Ingredients:
For the dough/pasta
2 cups durum semolina, about 300 grams
3/4 cup warm water
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
Campidanese Sauce (Campidano is the southern region of Sardinia)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, broken up
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespoon of fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1 Tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 Tablespoon chopped thyme
1 28-ounce can, whole peeled tomatoes
3 Tablespoons torn-up basil (optional)
Grated pecorino cheese (aged)
Instructions:
- Put the olive oil in a large pan and set it over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic to the pan and cook until it softens.
- Put the sausage in and brown the sausage, breaking it up into bits as you go.
- Add the tomato paste, and, when it is incorporated, add the saffron, bay leaf, thyme, fennel seeds, and rosemary. Take each whole, peeled tomato and tear it up over the pan, letting all the juices fall into the pan. Do this with the whole can, then pour in the remaining contents of the can. Rinse the can with a little water and pour that in, too. Let this simmer uncovered while you make the dough (pasta). Stir it occasionally.
- When the pasta dough is ready, get a large pot of water to boil. Add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Boil the pasta until it floats, then for 1 minute more.
- To serve, put a little of the sauce in a big bowl and add all the pasta. Toss to combine. Serve with a little more sauce on top, garnished with grated pecorino cheese.
For more info:
- Carasau Ristorante, Culver City, Calif.
