Macaroni With A Ragu Of Sausage And Truffle (Maccheroni Di Salsiccia Al Profumo Di Tartufo)

Maccheroni pasta is what we also call macaroni. Oh yes, the same macaroni found in the ubiquitous macaroni cheese but so much more versatile than we should accept. This particular recipe uses truffle which is a gentle aromatic perfume.

I always prefer grated pecorino rather than parmesan cheese, for its stronger and much more incisive flavor!

Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 to 60 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 200g Tuscan sausage or a very herby sausage which needs to be crumbled or chopped up.
• small to medium white onion 1 (please not red on this occasion)
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 g of truffle but in truth the amount added is very much your choice because too much can be overpowering although there are some of us who cannot get enough of this flavour.
• 1 chilli – a small one or you could try a good p[inch of white pepper as this is much more authentic too !
• 400g plum or cherry tomato pulp 400 g
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste but this may be around 3 teaspoons
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• grated pecorino cheese to taste
• 400g Maccheroni (macaroni) pasta 

Preparation:

1. Peel the onion and chop it very fine. It could be minced in a blender too but that might not seem as authentic.

2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the chopped onion for 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the chilli.

3. Raise the heat and add the crumbled sausage. Cook the sausage for about 5 minutes. ideally it should be allowed to brown slightly but not overdone. It does need to be cooked through.

4. Pour the tomato pulp into the saucepan and add the dried thyme and the truffle. Fresh thyme is probably not strong enough in this recipe although we have used it from time to time but there should be plenty of spice in the sausage. Lower the heat to a minimum and cover the saucepan so that the ragu can cook.

5. Simmer the ragù with sausage for 45-60 minutes on a very low heat . Check and stir occasionally and add a little hot water as needed .

6. At the end of cooking, taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper . Do not salt at the beginning of cooking, because the sausage is usually already very salty and during cooking its flavor will intensify and bloom even more.

7. Boil the pasta in abundant salted water and drain it when it is still slightly al dente . Season it with the fragrant seasoning.

8. Serve the pasta with this sausage ragù immediately, accompanying it at your leisure with some grated pecorino cheese over the dish.