Pasta Alla Pecorara

Pasta alla Pecorara

A rustic southern Italian pasta (likely Roman or central-Italian in origin) built on a slowly sweated base of onions, sweet peppers and ripe tomatoes, finished with a generous amount of good pecorino. Simple, frugal cooking — the kind of dish a shepherd might have thrown together after a morning in the fields.

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •320 g (11¼ oz) rigatoni or penne rigate, rigatoni is the most traditional choice
• •2 whole red bell peppers, or a mix of red and yellow, seeded
• •1 whole yellow onion, thinly sliced
• •2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed, optional
• •400 g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, fresh, peeled and chopped; or a good-quality peeled canned tomato
• •1 tsp tomato paste, optional, for deeper color
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
• •1 pinch dried chili flakes, optional, to taste
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, for the pasta water, plus more for the sauce
• •120 g (4¼ oz) pecorino romano, freshly grated, plus extra to serve

Steps

1. 1 Roast or char the peppers whole over an open flame, under a hot broiler, or on a grill until the skins are blackened and blistered on all sides. Transfer to a covered bowl and let steam for 10 minutes, then peel off the skins, remove the seeds, and tear the flesh into wide strips. (Jarred roasted peppers are an acceptable home-kitchen substitute — use about 200 g, drained.)
2. 2 While the peppers steam, warm the olive oil in a wide skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and cook gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring often, until soft, translucent and just beginning to turn golden — do not brown it hard.
3. 3 Add the garlic and chili flakes (if using) and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Season lightly with salt and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes until thickened and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
4. 4 Add the roasted pepper strips to the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes to let the flavors meld. Taste and adjust salt.
5. 5 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil (about 10 g salt per liter / 1 tbsp per gallon). Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions, usually 10–12 minutes for rigatoni.
6. 6 Reserve about 100 ml (just under ½ cup) of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
7. 7 Tip the hot pasta into the skillet with the sauce, add half of the grated pecorino and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously over low heat for about 30 seconds until the pasta is glossy and coated, loosening with more pasta water if needed.
8. 8 Plate immediately, finish with the remaining pecorino and a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil. Serve hot.