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Bring a large pot of salted (2 tablespoons kosher salt) water to boil.
Heat a large pan to medium heat then add in the olive oil and sausage. Brown the sausage (about 5-7 minutes) then make some room in the pan and add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they brown as well.
Once the sausage and mushrooms are brown add the onion and garlic. After 2 minutes remove the garlic from the pan and discard. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the onions are soft.
Turn heat to medium-high and add the wine. Cook for a minute to reduce the wine by about half. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove all the brown bits. At this time begin cooking pasta to a bit less than al dente.
Add the cream and bring sauce to a simmer while stirring. Once simmering turn the heat down to low.
Once pasta is almost al dente add it to the sauce and mix to coat. Turn heat to medium. Add a bit of pasta water if needed to loosen things up. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is perfectly al dente.
Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat. Add the Pecorino, mix well, then taste test. Season with a good amount of black pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and salt to taste. Serve with grated Pecorino. Enjoy!
Top tips for amazing Norcina sauce:
Go easy on the nutmeg. Nutmeg is a strong spice and can be overpowering. I’m usually not too prescriptive with my recipes and typically encourage folks to take liberties, but nutmeg is one of those ingredients you’re better erring on the side of caution. Start by adding just a pinch and serve more on the side for those who would like more.
Reserve your pasta water (always). This is good practice for any pasta dish, however, it’s of major importance for dishes light on sauce (like aglio e olio) and cream-based dishes like this alla Norcina. If you’re waiting for your dinner companions to join you and the pasta starts to dry out, you can simply ladle a bit more pasta water to loosen it back up and bring it to its ultra creamy ideal state.
Use what’s available to you. Unfortunately, Norcia sausage and black truffles aren’t available to most of us so improvising a bit is just fine. If all you can find are sausage links with fennel, use them. Just remove the sausage from the casing. If you can’t get your hands on Pecorino Romano, you can use a Grana Padano or a Parmigiano Reggiano. If you dislike mushrooms, don’t use them. I just find that they add incredible texture to the dish and love the added flavor.
Use tubular pasta. Most of the time this dish will be made with rigatoni, penne, or tortiglioni. In the pics, I used a mezzi paccheri which was absolutely delicious. Basically, for a heavy sausage cream sauce like this, you want a heavy pasta that can hold up to it.