Sardinian Gnocchetti with Sausage, Tomato and Saffron

What you need

• 400 g (14 oz) malloreddus, dried Sardinian gnocchetti
• 300 g (10 oz) fresh pork sausage, casings removed; Sardinian style with fennel seed if available
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100 ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine
• 500 ml (2 cups) tomato passata
• 1 pinch saffron threads, a generous pinch
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 60 g (2 oz) pecorino sardo, finely grated, plus extra for serving
• salt, for the sauce and the pasta water

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Slit the sausage casings and peel them away, then crumble the meat into small pieces.

2. 2

   Crush the saffron into 3 tbsp warm water and leave it to steep for 10 min.

3. 3

   Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Cook the onion, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 8 min.

4. 4

   Add the sausage and break it up with a spoon. Cook until no pink remains and the bits are lightly browned, 6-8 min.

5. 5

   Pour in the wine and let it bubble until the smell of alcohol is gone and almost no liquid is left, 2-3 min.

6. 6

   Stir in the passata, the bay leaf, the saffron with its water and 1/2 tsp salt.

7. 7

   Simmer gently, partly covered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and a little oil shows at the edges, about 30 min. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.

8. 8

   Meanwhile boil a large pot of well-salted water. Cook the malloreddus until al dente, following the packet time, usually 12-14 min.

9. 9

   Scoop out a mug of the pasta water, then drain the malloreddus.

10. 10

    Remove the bay leaf. Tip the malloreddus into the sauce with a splash of pasta water and toss over low heat for 1 min.

11. 11

    Take the pan off the heat and stir in half the pecorino. Serve at once with the remaining pecorino on top.

Imported from blog.giallozafferano.it. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.