Maltagliati al Ragù di Salsiccia Emiliano

Ingredients

• For the pasta dough
• 300 g 00 flour
• 3 whole eggs
• For the ragù
• 400 g fresh Emilian salsiccia, casings removed, meat crumbled; pork, salt, pepper, nutmeg — not spiced or smoked
• 30 g lard
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 150 ml passata, background accent only; the sausage leads
• To finish
• 60 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated; served at the table, generous
• 1 tsp fine salt, for pasta water

Method

1. 1
   Mound the 00 flour on a work surface. Break the eggs into the centre and beat them lightly with a fork, then draw in the flour gradually until a rough dough forms. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back when pressed with a finger.
2. 2
   Roll the rested dough through a pasta machine to setting 5 or 6 — a thin but not translucent sheet. Lay the sheet on a lightly floured surface. Using a pastry wheel, cut across the sheet at irregular angles, producing rough triangular and polygonal scraps of varying sizes. No two pieces should be alike. This is where the dish lives or dies: uniformity defeats the purpose; the irregular angles and uneven edges are the mechanism by which the ragù is held.
3. 3
   Melt the lard in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled sausage meat in a single layer and leave undisturbed until deeply caramelised on the underside — 3 to 4 minutes. Break the meat into irregular chunks as it colours; do not reduce it to a fine mince. The pan should smell of browned pork fat, not steamed meat.
4. 4
   Pour in the white wine. It will hiss and lift the browned sediment from the pan. Stir to deglaze completely and allow the wine to reduce until the sharp alcohol note is gone and only a rounded, slightly sweet vapour remains — approximately 2 minutes.
5. 5
   Add the passata. Stir to combine and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The ragù is ready when it has thickened to a loose, chunky consistency with visible pieces of sausage; it should not be smooth, and the tomato should read as a background tone rather than the dominant flavour.
6. 6
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the maltagliati until one minute short of al dente — they will be tender at the edges but still have a faint resistance at the thicker angles. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta water.
7. 7
   Transfer the drained maltagliati directly into the ragù pan over medium heat. Add a splash of pasta water and toss vigorously for 1 minute until the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and the ragù clings to every surface and angle. The pan should be glossy but not soupy. Serve immediately with Parmigiano Reggiano at the table.