Rocca di Botte is the ideal place for hiking and trekking in the woods, but after a long walk in the mountains, what could be better than a hearty plate of pasta to recharge your batteries? One delicacy is maccheroni alla pecorara, cooked with chopped onion, guanciale, and vegetables, to which a fragrant tomato and ricotta sauce is added, resulting in a truly rich dish that will delight even the most demanding palate.
Ingredients
To prepare the macaroni:
600 g flour
4 eggs
1 cup water
For the sauce:
- 40 g guanciale
- 1/2 onion
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 250 g tomato purée
- 80 g diced eggplant
- 80 g diced bell peppers
- 80 g diced zucchini
- 150 g ricotta cheese
- 40 g grated pecorino cheese
- Basil to taste
- Salt to taste
- 50 g carrot
Preparation
Knead and work the dough until it is smooth and homogeneous, let it rest for about 30 minutes and then form it into strands that are not too thin and shape them into rings about 6 cm in circumference.
In a pan, brown 1/4 of an onion with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the diced vegetables, except for the carrot, and after a few minutes add the chopped guanciale. Cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned; before turning off the heat, season with salt.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: sauté the chopped carrot and the remaining 1/4 of the onion, allow to brown slightly, then add the tomato purée together with half a glass of water. Allow to simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, again adding salt only at the end.
Cook the pasta al dente, drain it in the saucepan used for the vegetables and add the tomato sauce and ricotta cheese, mixing everything well using a little of the pasta cooking water.
Serve in individual dishes and finish with a generous sprinkling of pecorino cheese.
