Paccheri Sausage Alla Zozzona
How many Roman pasta dishes do you know about?
There’s Carbonara, Amatriciana, Gricia, Cacio e Pepe, Alfredo.. But did you know about Pasta alla Zozzona?
This recipe was created in an attempt to combine Carbonata, Amatriciana and Cacio e Pepe.
If you love all of them, you’ll love these Paccheri Sausage alla Zozzona even more!
Before we make it together, let me answer the most common questions around it.
What is Pasta alla Zozzona?
Pasta alla Zozzona is a flavorful Italian pasta dish that combines ingredients commonly found in three classic Roman pasta dishes: Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacio e Pepe. This delicious trio of pancetta, pecorino cheese, black pepper, tomatoes, chili, and guanciale (Italian cured pork cheek) creates a rich, hearty dish.
What does “Zozzona” mean in Italian?
“Zozzona” is an Italian slang term that roughly translates to “dirty” or “filthy”, used in this context to imply a mix of several ingredients, or a “messy” combination of flavors, rather than anything negative.
What are the traditional ingredients in Pasta alla Zozzona?
The traditional ingredients in Pasta alla Zozzona are those found in Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacio e Pepe dishes. This includes pasta (usually a tubular one), pancetta, guanciale, pecorino cheese, Parmigiano cheese, eggs, black pepper, tomatoes, and chili.
What kind of pasta is used in Pasta alla Zozzona?
Traditionally, rigatoni is used in Pasta alla Zozzona. However, you could use other types of pasta like Short Ziti or Elicoidali based on personal preference.
What is the origin of Pasta alla Zozzona?
Pasta alla Zozzona is a relatively recent dish, hailing from Rome. Its creation is attributed to the Roman tradition of combining different ingredients to create new, innovative dishes. It’s essentially a tribute to Rome’s beloved pastas – Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacio e Pepe – all in one dish. We don’t know who created it, it seems to be a secret.
Is Pasta alla Zozzona spicy?
No, it has no chilly. It’s only spicy if you use a spicy Italian sausage.
Can Pasta alla Zozzona be made vegetarian or vegan?
Making Pasta alla Zozzona vegetarian would involve omitting the sausage and guanciale, which are key ingredients. For a vegan version, you would also need to replace the cheeses and eggs with vegan alternatives. This would significantly change the dish’s flavor profile, but could be done with the right substitutions.
How long does Pasta alla Zozzona take to cook?
The total cooking time for Pasta alla Zozzona can vary, but typically it can be prepared in about 30-40 minutes. This includes the time to cook the pasta and to prepare the sauce.
Can Pasta alla Zozzona be reheated?
Yes, Pasta alla Zozzona can be reheated. I personally don’t like to reheat pasta with egg, neither Zozzona nor Carbonara.
Paccheri Sausage Alla Zozzona
If you are asking why we used paccheri instead of rigatoni or ziti tagliati, since we stock both of those, here’s the answer. We love paccheri, and we are dedicating this month to paccheri recipes, showing you how versatile this chunky short pasta can be.
If you love paccheri too, stock up here.
Now, here’s the recipe.
Paccheri Sausage Alla Zozzona
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 chopping knife
- 1 large pan
- 1 medium size pot
- 1 silicone spoon
- 1 pasta ladle
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
- 250 gr Paccheri
- half onion
- 2 medium eggs
- 50 gr Italian Guanciale or bacon cubes
- 1 Italian sausage remove the casing
- 400 gr Italian Polpa or canned chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pecorino cheese or Romano Cheese; a block is usually nicer than pre-grated, but the latter works too.
Instructions
- Wash, peel and chop your half onion.
- Add to the pan together with the guanciale. Break the sausage into pieces after removing the casing. Add a drizzle of Belmorso EVOO, and sauté all together. Lower the heat.
- After 5 to 10 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, mix and leave to simmer with the lid on. Make sure to lower the heat.
- In the meantime, boil the water for the Paccheri and cook it.
- Separate the whites from the yolks, and add the yolks in a bowl. Grate some pecorino in that bowl (about 2 tablespoons), and add 4 tablespoons pasta cooking water.
- Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot. Pour the sausage Zozzona sauce you made. Mix well.
- Then add the creamy egg and pecorino mix to the pasta and mix well over medium heat, so that the eggs can cook, even though they already cooked a little with the pasta water we added. I'd say continue mixing for nearly 3 to 5 minutes.
- Serve with more grated pecorino cheese on top, and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
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