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1
Combine the flour, eggs, oil, and salt. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly under a fingertip but no longer tears.
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2
Sauté the chopped onion in a little butter or oil over a moderate heat until softened and translucent. Allow to cool. Combine the finely minced cooked meat, the soaked and squeezed stale bread (the panade), the cooled onion, chopped parsley, and the whole egg. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until the filling coheres into a single mass that holds its shape when pressed.
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3
On a lightly floured surface, roll the rested dough into a large rectangle of approximately 40 cm × 30 cm at a uniform thickness of 2 mm. The sheet should be thin enough to be faintly translucent when held to the light.
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4
Spread the filling evenly over the pasta sheet, leaving a 2 cm border on all sides. Moisten the border with water. Roll the dough up tightly from the long side into a firm, compact cylinder. Press the seam and the ends to seal. This is where the dish lives or dies: a loose roll will open in the poaching liquid and the spiral will be lost entirely; the cylinder must be uniformly tight along its full length.
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5
Wrap the cylinder tightly in a piece of clean muslin or cheesecloth, rolling it firmly and tying both ends with kitchen string to maintain the shape. Lower the wrapped roll into a pot of simmering — not boiling — beef broth. Poach for 40 to 50 minutes. The broth should maintain a gentle, steady simmer; a rolling boil risks bursting the roll.
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6
Lift the roll from the broth and remove the cloth. Allow the roll to rest and firm for 15 minutes before cutting. Once firm, slice into rounds of 2 cm thickness, each revealing a clear, tight spiral of pasta and filling. If the spiral is compressed and well-defined, the roll has set correctly.
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7
To serve in broth: ladle the hot poaching broth into warmed bowls and add the sliced rounds directly. To pan-fry: melt the butter in a wide pan over a moderate-to-high heat and fry the slices until golden and crispy on both sides. The exterior should be deep gold and give a faint crackle when pressed; the interior remains moist and savoury. Serve with a green salad dressed in walnut oil vinaigrette.