Orecchiette with sausage and mushrooms

Orecchiette with sausage and mushrooms is a dish rich in flavors that combines the Apulian tradition of orecchiette with rustic ingredients such as sausage and mushrooms. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 320 g of orecchiette
• 200 g of fresh sausage
• 300 g of mushrooms (porcini or champignons)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Chili pepper (optional)
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or a brush, avoiding soaking them in water. Cut them into not too thin slices.
2. Remove the skin from the sausage and crumble it.
3. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a clove of garlic. Once the garlic is golden, remove it and add the crumbled sausage.
4. When the sausage is well browned, add the chopped mushrooms and cook until they are soft, then season with salt and pepper and, if you like, add a pinch of chili pepper.
5. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette until al dente.
6. Drain the orecchiette, reserving some of the cooking water, and transfer them to the pan with the sausage and mushrooms.
7. Stir well over medium heat, adding a few tablespoons of cooking water if necessary to make the sauce creamier.
8. Once cooked, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and, if you wish, add grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot and, if you like, you can pair it with a nice glass of full-bodied red wine like Primitivo di Manduria.

Curiosity

Although the recipe might seem like a mix of ingredients not strictly linked to the tradition of a specific Italian region, the use of orecchiette roots it in Apulia. This pasta, whose shape resembles small ears, is ideal for collecting sauces and dressings, as in the case of sausage and mushrooms, making each bite a perfect balance of flavors.