Chef Graziella
Agnolotti del Plin
The pinched pasta of Piedmont, each tiny parcel sealed with thumb and forefinger, filled with braised meat that has surrendered to hours of slow cooking. Butter or broth. Nothing more.
Culinary Explorer
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Gramigna con Salsiccia
Created by
The beloved pasta of Bolognese trattorias, where curly hollow tubes catch crumbled sausage and cream in every bite. A dish that proves the best weeknight cooking comes from restraint, not excess.
Main Dishes
Italian, Emilian
Weeknight
Comfort Food
10 min
Active Time
25 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Gramigna means couch grass, that stubborn weed that creeps through gardens and refuses to be pulled. The pasta takes its name from its shape: short hollow tubes that curl and twist like the roots of a weed. This is not a glamorous origin. It is an honest one.
In the trattorias of Bologna, this dish appears on nearly every menu because it satisfies without pretension. Fresh sausage, crumbled and browned until the fat renders and the edges crisp. White wine to cut the richness. A whisper of cream to bind everything together. That is all.
Americans see cream and think alfredo. They imagine the pasta swimming in sauce. This is not that dish. The cream here is restrained, perhaps one-third cup for four people. It exists to help the sauce cling to the pasta, to coat those hollows and curls so that each bite delivers sausage and starch in proper proportion. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Gramigna pasta originated in the province of Modena, spreading to Bologna where it became inseparable from salsiccia in the city's trattorias. The combination likely dates to the early 20th century, when dried pasta factories in Emilia-Romagna began producing the distinctive curled shape. It remains a working-class dish, rarely found in restaurants that consider themselves fine dining.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
gramigna pasta
Quantity
1 pound
fresh Italian sausage
Quantity
12 ounces
casings removed
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 small
diced fine
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
heavy cream
Quantity
1/3 cup
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
for serving
freshly grated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| gramigna pasta | 1 pound |
| fresh Italian sausagecasings removed | 12 ounces |
| unsalted butter | 2 tablespoons |
| yellow oniondiced fine | 1 small |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| heavy cream | 1/3 cup |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large heavy skillet, at least 12 inches
- •Wooden spoon for breaking sausage
- •Large pot for pasta
Instructions
- 1
Cook the onion
Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. The onion should not brown. You are building a foundation, not creating color.
Patience with the onion determines the sweetness of your sauce. Rush this step and you will taste the difference. - 2
Crumble and brown the sausage
Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the meat loses its raw color and begins to brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. The pieces should be small, no larger than a pea. Large chunks of sausage belong in a sandwich, not on pasta.
- 3
Add the wine
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble vigorously. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce until nearly evaporated and you can no longer smell alcohol, about 3 minutes. The pan should be almost dry.
- 4
Add the cream
Pour in the cream and stir to combine. Let it simmer gently for 2 minutes, just until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. The cream is a whisper here, not a shout. Season with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat while you cook the pasta.
One-third cup of cream for four people. Americans want more. Resist. The cream exists to bind the sauce to the pasta, not to drown it. - 5
Cook the pasta
Bring abundant salted water to a vigorous boil. The water should taste like the sea. Cook the gramigna according to package directions until al dente, with pleasant resistance at the center. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining.
- 6
Finish and serve
Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the sausage sauce. Toss vigorously over medium heat for one minute, adding splashes of pasta water as needed to help the sauce cling to every curl and hollow. The pasta should be glossy and coated, not swimming. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out fresh Italian sausage from a butcher who makes it in-house. The supermarket tubes wrapped in plastic are a last resort. Good sausage needs only pork, salt, and pepper, perhaps a little fennel seed.
- •If you cannot find gramigna, substitute cavatappi or another short hollow pasta with curves. The shape matters because it traps the sauce. Long pasta like spaghetti is wrong for this dish.
- •The sauce comes together quickly. Have everything measured and ready before you begin. Once the pasta is cooked, you have no time to hunt for ingredients.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently while the pasta cooks, adding a splash of water or cream to restore the texture.
- •This is not a dish that improves with time. Make it, eat it, and remember why simple cooking satisfies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
830 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
980 mg
Total Carbohydrates
85 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
31 g
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