Rustic Charm

Sardinian cuisine is simplicity itself. The sea provides a vast selection of fish, while the land provides a plethora of organically grown produce, game, and meats, often skewered and roasted slowly over open, aromatic wood fires. Crispy breads, cheese, and honey round out the Sardinian diet.

Herewith, Excelsior’s export manager, Ben Dorigo, shares his favorite pasta recipe from the region. A close cousin to gnocchi, a small dumpling made from flour and water, malloreddus is the national pasta dish of Sardinia. Roughly translated, it means morsel or little bits of pasta dough, and malloreddus are made from hard wheat flour that is hand-rolled on a round basket. Stateside, they can be found in any good specialty food store.

Italian flair designed to make you the toast of any town in no time.

Malloreddus al la Campidanese
(Country-style Sardinian pasta with sausage sauce)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¾ pound fresh or store-bought Italian sausage with fennel seeds, casings removed and crumbled into pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds
1¾ pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped, or one 28-ounce can tomatoes
½ cup (4 ounces) diced, drained sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 package powdered saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
1 large bay leaf
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
¾ pound malloreddus
½ cup grated Pecorino cheese

In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the sausage and cook slowly over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, but not quite browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl, leaving the fat behind.

Discard all but one teaspoon of the fat in the skillet. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Stir in the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, saffron, bay leaf, and basil leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover the skillet and cook 5 minutes more. Return the sausage to the skillet, mixing it in well and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer. Cover the sauce and keep it warm while the malloreddus are cooking.

Cook the malloreddus according to the directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and pour 2 ¼ cups of the sauce over the malloreddus, mix well, then transfer the mixture to a serving platter. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve immediately.

Note: Remaining sauce can be frozen for future use.

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