Shepherd’s Style Pasta (Pasta alla Pecorara)

Known as “shepherd’s style pasta,” pasta alla pecorara gets its name from its use of sheep’s milk cheese and local vegetables. We were inspired by Abruzzese home cook Luisa Carinci, who enhanced her version with pancetta. Carinci seasoned her sauce with marjoram, which grows abundantly in the region and tastes like a sweeter, more delicate oregano. If you can’t find it, fresh oregano works fine. The sauce traditionally is paired with a handmade ring-shaped pasta called anellini. In its place, we call on store-bought orecchiette, which does an excellent job of catching chunks of the rustic sauce.