Pasta alla pastora

Name: Pasta alla pastora
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 7
Cuisine: En
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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Main Dish

7 servings

Very Easy

35 min

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

Preparation15 min

Cook time20 min

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.