Ceppe con Sugo di Agnello alla Teramana

Combine the semolina and salt in a wide bowl. Add water dropwise, working the mass firmly between the palms until the dough holds together without sticking. It must be considerably stiffer than a standard pasta dough. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and cohesive. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when a pressed thumb-print holds its edge cleanly and the surface is neither tacky nor cracked.

Flour the ferro (metal skewer or knitting needle) lightly. Pinch off a piece of dough roughly the size of a large olive. Place it against the ferro and roll under the palm with even, steady pressure, moving from the centre outward, until the tube is approximately 6 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. Slide the tube off the ferro with a single clean motion. Thin spots will tear at this point; if they do, the dough requires more kneading or slightly less water on the next batch. Arrange the formed ceppe on a semolina-dusted tray. Repeat until all the dough is shaped. The ceppe are ready when each tube is uniform in wall thickness and holds its hollow form without collapsing.

Melt the lard in a wide, heavy-based pan over high heat. When the lard shimmers and begins to smoke faintly, add the lamb shoulder pieces in a single uncrowded layer. Brown deeply on all sides without moving the pieces prematurely. The Maillard crust — dark mahogany, not grey — is the structural flavour of the entire dish. Remove the lamb and set aside. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: lard at sufficient heat for true browning, not steaming, is the irreducible condition of the ragù.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion, celery and peperoncino flakes to the fat remaining in the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and translucent, approximately 10 minutes. They should colour to pale gold but not brown.

Return the lamb pieces and their resting juices to the pan. Raise the heat, pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by half, scraping any deposits from the base of the pan. Add the broth and the crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Bring to a bare simmer. Cover tightly and braise over the lowest possible heat for a minimum of 2 hours. The ragù is ready when the lamb yields completely to light pressure from a spoon, the collagen has dissolved into the sauce and the surface holds a slow, occasional bubble.

Lift the lamb pieces from the sauce. Remove and discard the bones; the marrow will have dissolved into the braising liquid during the long cook. Shred the meat coarsely with two forks. Return the shredded lamb to the sauce and stir to combine. Assess the consistency: there must be sufficient liquid remaining for the pasta to finish in the pan. If the sauce has reduced too far, add a ladleful of pasta cooking water at this stage.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the ceppe until just al dente — they will carry a slight resistance at the core and the semolina exterior will feel lightly gritty to the tooth. Reserve 200 ml of cooking water before draining.

Transfer the drained ceppe directly to the ragù pan over medium heat. Toss and fold for 60 seconds, adding pasta water as needed to maintain a loose, saucing consistency. The rough exterior of each ceppe will grip the braised lamb. Remove from the heat, add the grated Pecorino d'Abruzzo and the torn parsley, and fold once more. Serve immediately: the dish is ready when the sauce coats each tube without pooling in the bowl.