Bucatini with Ricotta and Maltese Sausages (for #PastaFriday)

The weeks are really going by so fast. I can’t quite get my head round it. However summer doesn’t seem to want to come to an end here in Malta. The weather is glorious, a little too hot for my liking, but it comes with one perk. If you’re into eating with family and friends on a breezy rooftop, or if you’re lucky enough to own a luscious green garden, this is definitely the perfect weather for you. There is nothing like fresh food and great company, with perhaps a nice bottle of chilled white to share. This simple pasta dish reminds me of all that. I am looking forward to winter cooking, but in the meantime I don’t mind eating this now.

Don’t worry if you can’t source Maltese sausages, however don’t use any kind of processed meat. Look for fatty, spiced, peppery raw pork ones, and get the best quality you can afford. If you’re in the UK, use Cumberland sausages* which will give you almost the same taste. Maltese ones are more aromatic. You could also use any cooked meat, preferably marinated in a little oil and a few spices and herbs, like cumin or thyme and some pepper.

Ricotta, which is a delicate type of cheese is an easier ingredient to source, and very versatile. It’s also used in desserts, and you can add quite a few things to it, since it has a delicate taste on its own. I can assure you though, that one of the best ways of eating it is just with salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin of olive oil. A few chunks of crusty sourdough bread with that won’t harm you either.

The beauty in making your own pasta sauce is using any of your favourite ingredients and combining them to make something new. I usually start working with whatever I find in the fridge. J’s aunt calls this fridge foraging. So tell me – what’s your signature flavour combo?

This recipe feeds two persons really generously.

250g bucatini or spaghetti
1 – 2 tablespoons of regular olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
pinch of coarse salt
1 round marrow or courgette, washed and cut into cubes
2 Maltese sausages, around 150g each, cut into slices*
two shots dry vermouth or white wine
around 150g ricotta
1 large tomato, chopped into bite-sized chunks or slices
handful of fresh parsley, washed and roughly chopped

Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Place a large shallow pan on medium to low heat and pour the olive oil. When it sufficiently warms up, add the chopped onion, garlic and a pinch of coarse salt, just a little or enough to soften the onion. Add the chopped marrow, or courgette, whatever you prefer or have at hand, and let it turn a golden brown.

Tip the chopped sausages into the pan, give everything a stir, add the dry vermouth or white wine, and wait for a couple of minutes until everything is cooked.

When the bucatini are cooked al dente, remove them from their cooking water and tip them into the pan. Serve into two bowls, and top each serving with equal amounts of ricotta, tomatoes and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Rob.

One year ago: Pear and Chocolate Pudding

Two years ago: Sweet Potato Pasta Bake

Three years ago: Spice Cake

Four years ago: Easy Breezy Pasta and Rice