PASTA E CECI CON SALSICCIA

In Italy, cooking is about adapting to the day and the season. By basing the sauce on summer's fresh vegetables, herbs and a nice bit of acidity instead of heavy cream, the dish gets a wonderful lightness. Our salsiccia mince carries the whole dish and lifts the other ingredients into perfect balance. The result is a deliciously saucy pasta that feels incredibly fresh in the summer heat.

ingredients

• 500 g Nonna Elide Lumaconi (large snail-shaped pasta, perfect for catching the sauce)
• 250 g Nonna Elide Salsicciafärs Original or 300 g Nonna Elide Salsiccia Original
• Nonna Elide Olivolja Extra Jungfru
• 3 spring onions (or 1 regular yellow onion)
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 tin of chickpeas (approx. 400 g), pre-cooked and rinsed
• About 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary
• 1 dl white wine (or a splash of white wine vinegar / a little squeezed lemon juice mixed with water)
• A generous handful of fresh parsley and basil, chopped
• Salt & black pepper, to taste
• About 1–2 dl pasta water, saved from cooking the pasta

Here's how

• Trim and finely chop the onion. If you're using spring onions, chop the green tops now but save them for later. Finely chop the carrot and the two celery stalks quite small, as the carrot takes the longest to soften.
• Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a deep frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot, celery, your Nonna Elide salsiccia mince and the whole rosemary sprig. Let everything sizzle and sweat for about 5–10 minutes. Stir and break up the mince with a spatula. The carrots should soften and the salsiccia should be cooked through.
• Raise the heat slightly and pour in your white wine (or your vinegar/lemon juice alternative). Let it bubble away vigorously for a minute or so so the flavours concentrate and you scrape up all the lovely caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Get the pasta water going in a large pot. Salt it generously so the water tastes like the sea. Cook your Lumaconi according to the instructions on the pack, but don't let it boil furiously on full heat, as the large pasta shells can easily break. Lower the heat to a slightly higher medium setting so it cooks at a calmer pace, stirring gently now and then. Remember to save a little pasta water before draining it!
• Add the quartered cherry tomatoes and the chickpeas to the frying pan. Pour in a little pasta water, just enough to cover the ingredients. Put a lid on, lower the heat and let it simmer gently while the pasta finishes cooking.
• Take the back of a spatula or a fork and mash about half of the chickpeas directly in the pan. This releases natural starch that binds the olive oil, the acidity and the pasta water into a deliciously rich and lovely sauce, all without the dish losing its fresh summer feel! Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Fish out and discard the rosemary sprig.
• Drain your Lumaconi when they're al dente with a bit of bite. Fold the pasta straight into the pan with the sauce and stir gently over low heat for a minute or so, so the large shells fill up with the salsiccia and the lovely chickpea sauce. Stir in the chopped parsley and basil along with the saved green onion tops right at the end, so the fresh herbs keep their bright green colour and summery aroma. If the dish feels dry, thin it out with the saved pasta water to the consistency you prefer.
• Serve straight away as it is, no cheese needed, and enjoy a truly summery evening round the table!

Nonna vet bäst.