Name: Malloreddus alla Campidanese
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g Semola rimacinata (For the dough; extra semolina for dusting, as needed.); 0.5 g Saffron (a pinch, bloomed in the dough water); 400 g Italian pork sausage (casings off, with fennel seed if available); 10 g Wild fennel fronds (or 2 g fennel seeds); 600 g San Marzano tomatoes; 100 g Onion; 5 g Garlic; 100 ml Red wine; 40 ml Extra-virgin olive oil; 80 g Pecorino Sardo (grated); 10 g Salt (q.b.); 1 g Black pepper; 200 ml Water (Warm, for the saffron dough; additional water for boiling the pasta, as needed.)

Saffron goes into the dough in this version. Brown the crumbled sausage well before adding the tomato, then simmer until the sauce thickens. Finish with grated Pecorino Sardo and a little pasta cooking water.

Make ahead Shape the malloreddus in the morning and leave them to dry on semolina, and make the ragù a day ahead if you like; it keeps well in the fridge.

Total: 2 hr 5 min
Prep: 55 min
Cook: 50 min
Serves: 4

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Malloreddus alla Campidanese

Total 2 hr 5 min · Prep 55 min · Cook 50 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Skip to the method

4 servings

For the malloreddus

400 g2⅓ cups400 g
Semola rimacinataFor the dough; extra semolina for dusting, as needed.
a pinch
Saffronbloomed in the dough water
200 ml¾ cup200 ml
WaterWarm, for the saffron dough; additional water for boiling the pasta, as needed.

For the sauce

400 g14 oz400 g
Italian pork sausagecasings off, with fennel seed if available
10 g
Wild fennel frondsor 2 g fennel seeds
600 g1¼ lb600 g
San Marzano tomatoesor La Valle San Marzano Tomatoes DOP
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100 g3½ oz100 g
Onion
5 g
Garlic
100 ml½ cup100 ml
Red wine
40 ml2¾ tbsp40 ml
Extra-virgin olive oilor De Carlo Torre di Mossa Terra di Bari DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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80 g2¾ oz80 g
Pecorino Sardograted
to taste
Salt
1 g½ tsp1 g
Black pepper

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Method

Bloom the saffron in 200 ml warm water, then knead it into the semola with a pinch of salt to a firm golden dough. Rest 20 minutes.Bloom the saffron in ¾ cup (200 ml) warm water, then knead it into the semola with a pinch of salt to a firm golden dough. Rest 20 minutes.
Roll thin ropes, cut chickpea-sized pieces, and drag each over a gnocchi board or basket weave with your thumb into a ridged shell. Dry on semolina.
Roll the dough over the ridges to curl each malloreddu and mark its back.
Soften the onion and garlic in the oil; add the crumbled sausage and brown it properly, breaking it small.
Pour in the wine and let it vanish; add tomatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper.
Simmer the ragù gently, uncovered, until thick and brick-toned, about 30 minutes.
Boil the fresh malloreddus in plenty of salted water, starting to check after 6 minutes. They may take about 6–8 minutes, depending on their size and how long they have dried; taste one and cook until the centre is firm but no longer floury.
Toss pasta and ragù with a splash of pasta water and half the pecorino. Plate under the remaining cheese, drifts not flurries.

Equipment

Gnocchi BoardThe ridges hold the sausage ragù; a clean basket or the back of a fork also works.
Sauté Pan2 options
- Our pick
  All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel Sauté Pan with Lid, 3 qt
  A sauté pan with a lid for the sauce and the final pasta toss; work in batches if needed.
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- Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Sauté Pan, 3.5 qt
  A tri-ply sauté pan with a helper handle, easy to lift when full.
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Estimated per serving

Calories: 861 kcal
Protein: 33.9 g
Carbohydrates: 83.9 g
Fat: 43.5 g

Per serving · 1/4 of the recipe Ingredient-based estimate. Fennel fronds use fresh-dill composition. Includes all measured cheese; extra dusting semolina excluded. Wine alcohol retention 35%.

Nutrition sources: CREA Centro di ricerca Alimenti e Nutrizione · USDA Agricultural Research Service · Consorzio Pecorino Sardo