Fileja al Ragù di Capra — Twisted Pasta with Goat Ragù

Ingredients

• For the fileja dough
• 500 g semolina rimacinata
• 200–220 ml warm water
• For the goat ragù
• 800 g goat shoulder, bone-in pieces
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 150 ml white wine
• 400 g tomato, crushed or passata
• 4–6 dried peperoncino piccante, whole, dried wrinkled Calabrian chilli; not commercial chilli powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Method

1. 1
   Combine the semolina rimacinata with 200 ml of warm water. Add the remaining water only if the dough is crumbling dry. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and firm — it must not be soft or tacky. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back under a fingertip.
2. 2
   Roll portions of the rested dough into ropes of 3 mm diameter. Cut into lengths of 6–7 cm. Lay the ferretto (or thin metal skewer, 3 mm diameter) at a 45-degree angle to a piece of dough. Press lightly and roll the dough around the rod, applying firm, even pressure throughout. Slide the formed fileja off the rod. This is where the dish lives or dies: too little pressure produces a flat, open tube that will not hold the ragù; a firm, tight wrap produces the closed spiral hollow that defines the shape. Work all the dough before proceeding.
3. 3
   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over a high flame. Brown the goat shoulder pieces in batches, turning until all surfaces are deeply coloured and the pan smells of caramelised meat rather than raw. Remove the pieces and set aside.
4. 4
   Return all the goat to the pan. Add the peperoncino piccante, then pour in the white wine. Allow it to reduce by half — the sharp alcohol smell dissipates and a rounder, fruitier aroma takes its place. Add the tomato and dried oregano. Stir to combine.
5. 5
   Reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover and braise for 2.5 to 3 hours, checking periodically that the liquid has not reduced below the level of the meat. The ragù is done when the goat is falling from the bone and the sauce is glossy and dark. Pull the meat from the bones, shred it coarsely, and return it to the sauce. Discard the bones.
6. 6
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a full boil. Cook the fileja until just tender — fresh semolina fileja will take 4–6 minutes. Taste one: it should offer slight resistance at the very centre of the spiral. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.
7. 7
   Transfer the drained fileja directly into the ragù pan. Toss over a medium flame for 1–2 minutes, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water if the sauce tightens too much. The finished dish should be cohesive: sauce coating the exterior spiral and drawn into the hollow centre, with no loose liquid pooling in the pan.