Sagnarelle al Ragù di Maiale Molisano

Ingredients

• For the sagnarelle dough
• 400 g semolina rimacinata
• 208 ml warm water, 52% hydration of flour weight
• For the ragù
• 800 g pork shoulder, cut into large chunks, not minced
• 40 g lard
• 200 ml Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, for deglazing
• 400 g tomato passata
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• For the peperoni cruschi
• 6 peperoni cruschi (sun-dried sweet red peppers), whole, dried
• 80 ml olive oil, warm, for rehydrating the peppers
• To finish
• 50 g aged pecorino molisano, crumbled, not grated

Method

1. 1
   Combine the semolina rimacinata with the warm water. Work the dough until it is smooth and homogeneous, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back under light pressure.
2. 2
   Roll the rested dough to a thickness of 4 mm. Cut into strips of deliberately irregular width — the rough, ruffled edge is intentional and traditional, not a fault. Set the strips aside on a semolina-dusted surface.
3. 3
   Melt the lard in a wide, heavy pot over high heat. Brown the pork shoulder chunks in batches until deeply coloured on all sides — the crust must be mahogany, not grey. Remove and set aside.
4. 4
   Reduce the heat, add the onion to the same pot and soften without colouring. Return the browned pork, deglaze with the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and allow the alcohol to lift fully from the pan. Add the passata, bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially and braise for 2.5 hours. The ragù is ready when the pork yields to a fork and pulls into thick, textured shreds — this is where the dish lives or dies; ground pork or a shortened braise will not produce the structural depth that carries the sagnarelle.
5. 5
   Twenty minutes before the ragù finishes, submerge the peperoni cruschi in warm olive oil and leave to rehydrate for 20 minutes. They are ready when they have softened and the oil has taken on a sweet, lightly smoky perfume. Stir the peppers and their oil into the finished ragù.
6. 6
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the sagnarelle until 2 minutes short of al dente — the strips will still feel firm at the centre when pressed between fingers.
7. 7
   Transfer the sagnarelle directly into the ragù pan with a ladleful of pasta water. Finish over medium heat, tossing and folding, until the sauce clings to every rough edge of the pasta and the water is absorbed. The surface should appear glossy and unified, not pooled or dry.
8. 8
   Plate immediately. Crumble aged pecorino molisano over the top — texture, not a smooth coating. Serve at once.