Pasta alla pastora

Ingredients

• 3/4 libras fresh sweet or hot Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 libras homemade ricotta (or good quality, whole milk ricotta)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 libra rigatoni or penne
• freshly grated pecorino cheese
• red pepper flakes, optional

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Preparation

• Remove the sausage casings. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into small clumps about the size of an olive. Cook until browned all over; keep warm.
• Press the homemade ricotta through a sieve. Or, place the store-bought ricotta in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring 5 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add 1/4 cup Kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook to the al dente stage (10-13 minutes, depending on the shape used).
• Just before the pasta is done, add 3-5 tbs of the pasta water to the ricotta to warm it and make it creamy and sauce-like.
  
• Set aside another 1/2-3/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the sausage.
• Toss over high heat until it's hot throughout, then add to the bowl with the ricotta. Add some pasta water and toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce.
• Add the pecorino and serve immediately.

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