Anolini in Brodo

Ingredients

• For the stracotto filling
• 600 g beef eye of round or bottom round, tied
• 500 ml Lambrusco or dry local red wine
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
• 80 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• 40 g dried breadcrumbs, soaked in broth until soft, then squeezed
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• For the sfoglia
• 300 g 00 flour
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• For the broth
• 1 kg beef bones and shin, rinsed
• 1 capon carcass, or capon pieces
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 carrot, whole
• 1 stalk celery, whole
• 3 litres cold water
• To finish
• 80 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, for the table

Method

1. 1
   Day one — the stracotto. Place the beef in a heavy-based pot with the aromatics and Lambrusco. Bring to a bare simmer, cover tightly, and braise at the lowest possible heat for 4–6 hours, turning the meat occasionally. The dish lives or dies here: the meat must collapse completely into soft, concentrated shreds; a perfunctory braise will not yield the correct density of flavour. The braise is done when the beef falls apart under the pressure of a spoon and the liquid has reduced to a dark, glossy residue.
2. 2
   Remove the beef and allow it to cool. Finely chop or process it to a dense, rough paste — not a purée. Mix thoroughly with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, the broth-soaked and squeezed breadcrumbs, the beaten egg, and freshly grated nutmeg. The mixture must hold its shape when pressed between the fingers and show no excess moisture; if it feels slack, add a little more Parmigiano. Reserve any strained braising liquid. Refrigerate the filling, covered, overnight.
3. 3
   Day one or two — the broth. Place the beef bones, shin, and capon carcass in a large pot with the cold water and aromatics. Bring very slowly to a bare simmer. Skim diligently and continuously during the first hour. Maintain at a gentle simmer — never a rolling boil — for at least 4 hours, adding the reserved stracotto braising liquid. The broth is ready when it is deeply golden, intensely flavoured, and completely clear when a ladleful is held up to the light. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer lined with muslin and degrease fully.
4. 4
   Day two — the sfoglia. Work the flour and eggs to a smooth, elastic dough. Rest, wrapped, for 30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a sheet thin enough that the dark filling will be visible through the pasta — this is the test of correct thickness. Cut circles of 3–4 cm diameter with a round cutter.
5. 5
   Place a small, compact amount of filling — no more than a hazelnut's volume — on one half of each circle. Fold the pasta over to form a half-moon, pressing firmly from the filling outward to expel all air, and seal the edge with decisive pressure. The seal must show no gaps; air pockets will cause the anolini to burst in the broth.
6. 6
   Bring the clear broth to a steady simmer — not a boil. Lower the anolini in batches and cook for 2–3 minutes. They are ready when they float freely and the pasta at the sealed edge is tender but still has slight resistance to the tooth.
7. 7
   Ladle 20–25 anolini per bowl with a generous amount of broth. Serve immediately with Parmigiano-Reggiano offered at the table. The broth must be steaming and fragrant on arrival; delay is the only remaining error.