Fusilli al Ragù di Agnello Lucano

Ingredients

• For the fusilli
• 400 g semolina di grano duro (fine semola rimacinata)
• 180 ml water, lukewarm
• For the ragù
• 800 g lamb shoulder, bone-in
• 100 g guanciale, cut into small lardons
• 1 (medium) onion, finely sliced
• 1 dried chilli, crumbled
• 400 g San Marzano tomatoes, tinned, crushed by hand
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 30 ml olive oil
• To finish
• 60 g cacioricotta, finely grated

Method

1. 1
   Combine the semolina di grano duro with the lukewarm water. Work the dough by hand for 10–12 minutes until it is smooth, firm, and no longer sticky. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds an indent from a thumb without springing fully back.
2. 2
   Pinch off a piece of dough and roll it under the palm into a cord roughly 5 mm in diameter. Cut the cord into lengths of 10–12 cm. Lay the ferretto (or 4 mm knitting needle) diagonally across one piece at a 45-degree angle and roll it firmly under the palm, applying even pressure along the full length, so the dough spirals around the rod. Slide the fusillo off the rod. The spiral must be tight, even, and hollow at the centre — an uneven coil will cook unevenly.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies: set the shaped fusilli on a lightly semolina-dusted surface in a single layer and allow them to dry for at least 30 minutes. The surface must feel dry and slightly rough to the touch before cooking — a damp or tacky surface means the spiral will collapse in the boiling water and the hollow centre, which holds the sauce, will be lost.
4. 4
   Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy braising pot over medium-high heat. Season the lamb shoulder and brown it thoroughly on all sides — 8–10 minutes. The surface must be a deep mahogany, not grey; colour here is gelatin and flavour for the ragù.
5. 5
   Reduce the heat to medium. Add the guanciale lardons and render until their fat runs and they take on colour, about 4 minutes. Add the sliced onion and crumbled chilli and sweat, stirring, until the onion softens and turns translucent — approximately 6 minutes. The smell should be sweet and gently spiced, not sharp.
6. 6
   Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and the pinch of cinnamon. Stir to combine. Bring to the gentlest possible simmer — a single bubble breaking the surface every few seconds — then cover and braise for 2–3 hours, checking periodically that the liquid has not tightened to a scorch. The lamb is done when the meat yields completely to a fork and begins to fall away from the bone without resistance.
7. 7
   Lift the lamb from the pot while still hot. Pull all meat from the bone, discarding bone and any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the ragù only in the final 10 minutes of the sauce's cooking time. The sauce should be thick, glossy, and brick-red; the shreds should retain some texture distinct from the surrounding sauce.
8. 8
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the fusilli until the thickest part of the spiral is tender but still offers slight resistance at the centre — taste a single piece. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta water.
9. 9
   Add the drained fusilli directly to the ragù in the pot. Toss over low heat for 1–2 minutes, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce tightens. Every fusillo should be coated inside its coil and out. Serve immediately, with cacioricotta grated over each portion at table.