Lumache

Lumache alla Salsiccia (Snail Pasta with Italian Sausage Ragù)

A rustic central-Italian weeknight pasta where bronze-cut lumache are tossed in a chunky sausage and tomato ragù — the ridges and spiral cavity of the shape are designed specifically to catch sauces like this one.

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) lumache pasta, bronze-die extruded if possible; durum-wheat semolina
• •300 g (10½ oz) fresh Italian pork sausage, mild or fennel-seasoned; casing removed
• •2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• •1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 120 g / 4 oz)
• •1 small carrot, finely diced (about 80 g / 2¾ oz)
• •1 celery stalk, finely diced (about 60 g / 2 oz)
• •2 cloves garlic, crushed
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) dry red wine, Sangiovese or other Italian red
• •400 g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, peeled and crushed, or passata
• •1 tsp tomato concentrate (doppio concentrato)
• •1 bay leaf
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) fine sea salt, plus more for the pasta water
• •0.25 tsp (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •2 L (8½ cups) water, for the pasta; plus 15 g / 1 tbsp coarse salt per litre
• •60 g (2 oz) Pecorino Romano, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
• •1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Bring the 2 L of water to a rolling boil in a large pot, salt it with about 15 g (1 tbsp) of coarse salt per litre — it should taste like the sea.
2. 2 While the water heats, make the soffritto: warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet or shallow saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent but not browned.
3. 3 Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then crumble in the sausage meat. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 5–6 minutes, until the pork loses its raw pink colour and starts to caramelise at the edges.
4. 4 Pour in the red wine, raise the heat to medium-high and let it bubble for 3–4 minutes until reduced by about half and the alcohol has cooked off.
5. 5 Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato concentrate, bay leaf, ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
6. 6 Drop the lumache into the boiling salted water and cook for the time on the package, typically 11–13 minutes, until al dente — they should be tender but still hold a slight bite at the centre. Stir occasionally in the first couple of minutes so the spiral shapes do not stick to the pot.
7. 7 Reserve about 150 ml (⅔ cup) of the starchy pasta water, then drain the lumache.
8. 8 Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the ragù along with a splash of the reserved pasta water and the grated Pecorino. Toss vigorously over low heat for about 30 seconds so the sauce clings to the ridges and fills the spiral cavities.
9. 9 Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately in warm bowls, finished with more grated Pecorino and the chopped parsley.