Sagne e Fagioli Abruzzesi

Melt the lard in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork ribs in a single layer and brown on all sides until deeply coloured — the colour of the meat at this stage determines the depth of the finished broth. Remove and set aside.

Return the browned ribs to the pot. Add the crushed garlic, rosemary sprigs, and cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes. The broth is ready when the rib meat yields easily from the bone and the liquid has taken on a rich amber colour.

While the broth simmers, make the sagne. Work the semolina flour and warm water together into a firm, cohesive dough. Rest it for 30 minutes under an inverted bowl, then roll the sheet to roughly 3 mm thickness. Do not cut it: tear the sheet by hand into irregular pieces of approximately 5–8 cm — the uneven edges and varied thickness are structural, not cosmetic.

In a separate pot, cover the drained soaked borlotti beans with cold water and cook until just tender but still holding their shape — they must be fully cooked at this point. They will receive only 12 minutes more when the pasta is added, which is not enough time to finish an undercooked bean.

Lift the ribs from the broth and strip the meat from the bones in rough pieces; discard the bones, garlic skins, and rosemary. Return the meat to the pot. Add the cooked, drained borlotti beans and enough of their cooking liquid to keep the pot generous. Bring the combined broth back to a steady simmer.

Add the torn sagne directly into the simmering bean-and-rib broth. This is where the dish lives or dies: the starch released by the rough pasta must thicken the broth progressively over 12 minutes of steady, uncovered simmering — stir regularly to prevent the pasta from settling and catching. At no point should the liquid be thin; if it is, raise the heat and reduce it. The dish is done when the sagne are cooked through and the consistency is thick and stew-like, not a soup. A spoon drawn through the pot should leave a momentary channel.

Add the crumbled peperoncino secco, stir once, and remove the pot from the heat. Ladle into warmed bowls and pour raw Aprutino Pescarese DOP olive oil directly over each portion at the table. The oil should pool briefly before being drawn in — that is the correct moment to serve.