Growing up with my mom who was 100% Sicilian could be a bit odd at times. She enjoyed foraging for blackberries and dandelion greens on the sides of roads and there was always eggplant in the house, sometimes making an appearance in the lunches I brought to school. When my grandfather came over, we played bocce (and shockingly sometimes I won!) and occasionally he broke out his mandolin and played a tune. I always noticed that we were different from the people I grew up with and didn’t appreciate our ethnic heritage at all, until I grew older and decided I wanted to learn more about the island and the regional cuisine.
During the pandemic, my mom and I made a trip for Italian provisions into DC and visited A Litteri, which is an old school shop with an incredible regional collection of wine from Italy (I will include more information on this store when I write about DC). While there, I bought anelletti, which is a round spaghetti’o shaped pasta. My mom knew it was Sicilian and we decided to make it. But what to make? After a little research, it was determined that most Sicilians tend to bake anelletti in what can be described as a simple casserole. I was happy with the results and so was my family. One of the things that I will continue to share are foods from my family’s heritage as I believe it is important to keep these traditions alive.
Anelletti or anellini as it is sometimes known can be purchased on Amazon. It can also be found in Italian grocery stores if you should find yourself near one.
Ingredients
1 pound anelletti pasta
1 1/2 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
½ cup frozen peas
2 28 oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes crushed with your hands
1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese – grated and divided
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese - grated
1 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves – minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
½ small onion - chopped
1 to 2 TBS breadcrumbs
1 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
Fresh chopped basil for serving
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and herbs and simmer for about 25 minutes. Add the frozen peas in the last few minutes of simmering.
2. Boil water and cook the anelletti pasta according to package directions, a few minutes shy of al dente. Drain the pasta and mix it with the sauce and sausage mixture.
3. Add the grated mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
4. Grease a 9x13 pan with a little butter and pour in the pasta with the ragu sauce. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and the rest of the Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes and let sit for 10 minutes to cool before serving. Top with chopped basil for presentation and serve with a side salad.
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