Farro Pasta with Arugula & Ricotta
This wonderful country-style pasta dish requires almost no cooking, but fresh, flavorful ingredients are essential. Most important is to find fresh whole-milk ricotta (not the processed, packaged variety), often sold in good Italian markets and whole-food stores. If you can find artisan-made sheep’s- or goat’s-milk ricotta, that would be best of all. Another key ingredient is dry pasta made from farro, a kind of wheat berry usually cooked as a whole grain (try my Farro with Roasted Pepper Sauce, page 167). Farro pasta is quite popular in Abruzzo and is manufactured there, in many shapes, by both small artisanal pastifici (pasta factories) and the big pasta companies. Look for it in your market, or order it online (see Sources, page 387); either ziti or spaghetti would be my choice for this dish. It is delicious, nutritious, and moderately priced. You’ll also need tender rucola (arugula), good grated pecorino, and excellent extra-virgin olive oil. Once you have all your ingredients, the preparation is fast and easy.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
Preparation
Step 1
To cook the pasta: bring a large pot of well-salted water (6 quarts or more) to the boil.
Step 2
Meanwhile, rinse the arugula leaves well, then drain and dry them in a salad spinner or with paper towels. Slice or chop the leaves into rough strips, about 1/2 inch wide.
Step 3
When the water is at a rolling boil, drop in the farro pasta, stir, and separate the strands. Return to the boil, and cook the pasta until al dente, stirring occasionally.
Step 4
As the pasta cooks, pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into the big skillet, and set it over low heat. Spoon in the ricotta, and break up the curds with a wooden spoon, spreading and gently warming the cheese and oil in the pan—don’t let them get hot or start cooking. Season with 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 5
When the pasta is al dente, lift it from the pot, drain for a moment, and drop it into the skillet. Still over low heat, toss the pasta for a minute or more, until the strands are evenly coated with ricotta—incorporate spoonfuls of hot pasta water if the ricotta is stiff and not flowing.
Step 6
Turn off the heat, sprinkle the grated cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil on the pasta, and toss well again. Finally, scatter the shreds of arugula on top, and tumble into the pasta for a few moments, so the greens barely wilt. Serve immediately in warm bowls, with more grated cheese at the table.
Ricotta with Real Flavor
Step 7
Ricotta is produced from whey, the liquid left after milk has been curdled to make cheese. In America, ricotta is usually made from the whey of cow’s milk, most of it manufactured into the bland, moist product you find in the dairy case. Fresh whole-milk ricotta is drier and tastier. Containing no preservatives, it is usually hand-packed into containers to be sold within a day or two. Such fresh ricotta can be quite good—it is what I use at home—but it still can’t match the flavor of fresh ricotta in Italy, where more strongly flavored whey from sheep’s milk, water buffalo’s milk, or goat’s milk is the foundation. In the hands of a master cheesemaker like my friend Gregorio Rotolo, near Scanno in Abruzzo, ricotta can become a true delicacy.
Step 8
The good news for us is that a new generation of artisan cheesemakers in America are producing fine sheep’s- and goat’s-milk ricottas. Look for them at farmers’ markets and specialty shops. Or, for a treat from the Old World, you can order fresh sheep’s-milk ricotta flown in from Italy, delivered to your door (see Sources, page 387, for these products).
