Maccheroni al Ferretto con Ragù Abruzzese

Ingredients

• For the pasta
• 400 g semola di grano duro rimacinata (fine semolina)
• 190 ml water, cold
• 1 (approx. 4 mm diameter) ferretto (iron rod) or thick knitting needle
• For the ragù
• 250 g lamb, bone-in chops or shoulder, cut into pieces
• 250 g pork, shoulder or rib, cut into pieces
• 200 g beef, chuck or stewing cut, cut into pieces
• 400 ml red wine
• 500 g tomatoes, peeled whole or passata
• 1–2 peperoncino, dried, whole or crumbled
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. 1
   Mound the semolina on the work surface and work in the cold water gradually, kneading until a firm, cohesive dough forms. The dough must be firm — not soft or tacky. Wrap and rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it holds its shape without springing back and does not cling to the hand.
2. 2
   Place the meat pieces in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Pour in the red wine and allow it to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and peperoncino. Lower the heat to the gentlest simmer and cook, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The ragù is ready when it is very thick, the fat has separated slightly at the surface, and a spoon drawn through the pot leaves a briefly visible channel.
3. 3
   Pinch off a small piece of rested dough roughly the size of a large olive and roll it against the work surface into a short cylinder. Lay the cylinder diagonally across the ferretto and press the rod firmly onto the work surface. Roll forward with even, sustained pressure so the dough curls around the rod and the edges meet to form a sealed tube. Slide the tube off the rod immediately. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the dough is too wet it will grip the rod and tear; if pressure is insufficient the tube will not close. A clean slide and a fully sealed, even tube confirm the dough and technique are correct.
4. 4
   Lay the formed maccheroni in a single layer on a lightly semolina-dusted surface. Continue until all the dough is shaped. The pasta is ready to cook once the surface has dried slightly and the tubes hold their form without collapsing.
5. 5
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the maccheroni al ferretto, allowing 2–3 minutes longer than one would for solid pasta of the same diameter. Taste: the pasta is done when the tube is fully tender through with no raw-flour note at the centre but retains a definite resistance.
6. 6
   Drain the pasta, reserving a ladleful of cooking water. Toss immediately with the very thick ragù, adding a splash of cooking water only if the sauce does not coat the tubes. The ragù must cling inside and outside each tube; if it runs freely through the hollow it is too thin and must be reduced further before serving.