This signature dish of Sardinia, Malloreddus alla Campidanese, originally comes from the Campidano area but is now eaten all over the island. Often prepared for special occasions or for a Sunday meal to share with all the family, this is Sardinian comfort food at its very best and a dish that transports me straight back home.
The sausage meat is seasoned with fennel seeds and white wine and left to marinate overnight – I have included the method for this below, but if you’re in Sardinia, you can ask for this in any butcher shop around the island.
This ragu is unique in that it gives you the comfort of a slow-cooked sauce without having to wait 3–4 hours. The combination of homemade gnocchetti, sweet sausage and saffron is incredibly tasty! If you don’t have time to make fresh pasta, don’t worry – just buy dried malloreddus, or use another small, short pasta shape like orecchiette or cavatelli.
Please note: The marinated sausage meat needs to be prepared the night before or at least six hours before cooking the ragu.
The recipe below is excerpted from my cookbook: Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100.
Malloreddus alla Campidanese (Sardinian Gnocchi with Sweet Sausage Ragu)
4-5
servings15
minutes1
hourIngredients
- For the Ragu
1 1 white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons 2 extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. + 2oz. 1 Marinated sausage meat (see below) or fennel sausages
scant 1/2 cup scant 1/2 Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
14 oz. 14 tin of peeled plum tomatoes
1/2 oz. 1/2 basil
1 pinch 1 saffron threads (optional – if not using saffron pasta)
scant 1 cup scant 1 water
14 oz. 14 Malloreddus pasta (or another short pasta shape)
grated Pecorino, to serve
- For the Sausage Meat Marinade
2 2 garlic cloves, halved
2 teaspoons 2 fennel seeds
1/3 cup 1/3 Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
1 teaspoon 1 fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 freshly ground
black pepper
Directions
- First, make the marinated sausage meat.
- This needs to be prepared the night before, or at least 6 hours before cooking the ragu.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to squeeze the mixture together until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator.
- The next day, remove the sausage meat from the refrigerator 1 hour before you start
- cooking and discard the garlic and any liquid in the bowl.
- Heat a large saucepan or casserole dish (Dutch oven) over a medium heat.
- Add the onion and oil and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sausage meat.
- Use a wooden spoon to break down the meat into small pieces, then cook for 10–15 minutes until
- the meat and onion start to brown.
- Once the meat is nicely browned, deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer for five minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Crush the tomatoes with your hands, then add them to the pan.
- Tear in the basil and add, along with the saffron (if using), a pinch of salt and pepper and the water.
- Cook over a medium heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and is thick and juicy (if it is too thin, continue cooking it for longer until it has reduced).
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta, then drain, reserving half a cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Transfer the pasta to the sauce, remove the pan from the heat, and toss and stir well until the sauce coats the pasta (if the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water at a time until it is velvety).
- Serve sprinkled with Pecorino.
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