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Malloreddus alla campidanese
Saffron gnocchetti with sausage
Malloreddus alla campidanese: Sardinian saffron gnocchetti with pork sausage, tomato and pecorino
ItalianMalloreddus, small ridged shells of semolina pasta coloured with saffron, are Sardinia's festive pasta, and on the plain of Campidano, north of Cagliari, they're served at weddings, saints' days and Sunday lunch with this sauce. It's a pork dish: crumbled fennel pork sausage is browned, then simmered with tomato until rich, and the little ridged shells catch every bit of it. A shower of sharp pecorino sardo finishes it. Dried malloreddus (sometimes sold as gnocchetti sardi) are easy to find; homemade ones are a lovely weekend project. Chef's tip: steep the saffron in a spoonful of hot water before adding it to the sauce; the colour and perfume spread evenly instead of staying in threads.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron threadssoaked in 2 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 garlic clovefinely chopped
- 10 ½ oz Italian pork sausage with fennelskins removed
- 2 ½ cups tomato passata
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz pecorino sardo or pecorino romanograted
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and cook 1 onion and 1 garlic clove until soft.
6 minStep 2: Crumble in 10 ½ oz Italian pork sausage with fennel and fry, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains. Don't leave it in big lumps: that's the usual reason the sauce never coats the little shells.
8 minStep 3: Add 2 ½ cups tomato passata, 6 basil leaves, 1 tsp salt and the 1 pinch saffron threads with its water. Simmer gently, partly covered, until thick and deep orange-red; the sausage will be well past 160°F.
25 minStep 4: Cook 14 oz dried malloreddus (gnocchetti sardi) in plenty of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, usually 12–14 minutes. Keep a cup of the water.
14 minStep 5: Drain and toss with the sauce and half of 1 oz pecorino sardo or pecorino romano, adding a splash of pasta water if it's too thick.
1 minStep 6: Serve with the rest of 1 oz pecorino sardo or pecorino romano sprinkled on top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 84 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malloreddus alla campidanese take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic clove?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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