Rings alla Pecorara is a traditional Abruzzo dish, specifically originating in the Elice area.
My husband and I tried it for the first time in a local restaurant, which we consider one of the best places to eat this dish. However, there are others worth mentioning because they make all their pasta by hand and cook exceptional skewers.
This is a very special dish that I had intended to prepare for some time; however, in this recipe, I bought ready-made pasta, but I plan to make it myself and help you do the same at home.
The pasta is really simple to make at home, but this time it was a last-minute decision, so I bought it fresh.
These are pasta rings made with a dough of water, semolina flour, and salt, without eggs.
The sauce is also unique, as it contains vegetables and at the end, sheep ricotta is added.
Sure, you might ask why use a Sardinian cheese in an Abruzzo recipe? As a lover of sheep cheeses, I’m selective, so you have to trust me! For this recipe, I used sheep ricotta from the company Pinna formaggi, a company rich in history, and their products are a guarantee.
If you make this recipe or others on my blog, feel free to send me the photo of your dish, and if you like, I’ll post it on my Facebook page with your name.
Approximately 785 Kcal per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Portions: 3 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Abruzzo
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients to make Rings alla Pecorara
- 17.6 oz fresh rings
- 21.2 oz canned chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes for sauce
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1/2 eggplant
- 1 medium onion
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small celery stalk
- a few fresh basil leaves
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 3.5 oz sheep ricotta
- 1.8 oz grated pecorino
Preparation of Rings alla Pecorara
First, take the vegetables, wash, clean, and cut them into small pieces, take a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the vegetables and cook over low heat, stirring often.
In another non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and let them sauté a bit.
Then add the tomato purée, salt, a few chopped basil leaves, add a bit of water and mix well. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
When the vegetables are slightly browned, add them to the sauce and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, adding water and salt as needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the pot with salted water for cooking the pasta.
Once the sauce is cooked, turn off the heat and add the ricotta, mixing well.
Cook the pasta until al dente, when it has reached the right doneness, drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce, stirring well over medium heat for a minute.
