Ricotta & Pignoli Sauce

This is a creamy pasta sauce that leans on the southern Italian pairing of ricotta and pine nuts, with mint stealing the show from the more expected basil. Sicilian and Calabrian kitchens have used mint with ricotta for centuries, and the cool brightness against the rich cheese is what makes this dish memorable.

Toasting the pine nuts first is the step you can’t skip. Raw pine nuts taste resinous and flat. Five minutes in a dry skillet brings out their butter-and-honey notes and gives the sauce real depth.

The ricotta gets stirred together with the toasted nuts and chopped mint before the warm tomato base meets it. Folding cold ricotta into hot sauce off the heat keeps it from breaking into a curdled mess. Use very low heat for that final minute of warming.

Undercook the pasta by about a minute. The final low-heat toss with sauce in the pot finishes the cooking while the noodles absorb flavor. This trick makes a huge difference compared to draining fully-cooked pasta and just spooning sauce over top.

Rotelle (wagon wheels) or orecchiette are recommended because their nooks and curves grab the ricotta sauce in every bite. Long thin pasta lets the chunky sauce slide off.

Chef Tips

• Use whole milk ricotta if you can find it. Reduced-fat works but the texture is grainier.
• Save a ladle of pasta water before draining. A splash in the pot loosens the sauce if it gets too thick.
• Buy pine nuts in small quantities and store in the freezer. They go rancid fast at room temperature.
• Add a squeeze of lemon zest right before serving for a bright fresh lift.

Variations

• Stir in 1 cup of fresh peas or chopped asparagus with the tomatoes for a spring version.
• Swap mint for arugula or fresh oregano for a different herbal character.
• Add a handful of crumbled sweet Italian sausage cooked first for a meaty version.