Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Polpette di Agnello Abruzzese

Ingredients

• For the tomato sauce
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1–2 peperoncino, dried, crumbled
• 800 g whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• For the polpette
• 500 g lamb mince
• 60 g stale bread, crusts removed, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
• 80 ml whole milk, for soaking the bread
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 40 g Pecorino, finely grated
• 10 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
• For the pasta
• 400 g spaghetti alla chitarra, fresh or dried; rough-cut surface
• 10 g salt, for the pasta water
• To finish
• 30 g Pecorino, finely grated, to serve

Method

1. 1
   Warm 4 tbsp olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion, bay leaves and crumbled peperoncino. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion is completely soft and translucent — it must not colour.
2. 2
   Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt. Raise the heat briefly until the sauce begins to bubble, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is dense, dark in colour and the raw tomato smell has given way to a sweet, concentrated aroma. The sauce must be fully developed before any meatball enters it.
3. 3
   While the sauce cooks, make the polpette mixture. In a bowl, combine the lamb mince, squeezed bread, beaten egg, 40 g grated Pecorino, chopped parsley and nutmeg. Mix with your hands until fully homogeneous. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed but remain slightly tacky.
4. 4
   With cold-wet hands, roll the mixture into balls of approximately 2 cm diameter — small enough that they will cook through reliably. Set them on a tray in a single layer. This is where the dish lives or dies: each polpetta must be rolled very small and with a smooth, uncracked surface so that it forms an intact crust when fried and does not break apart in the sauce.
5. 5
   Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the polpette in batches, turning them to colour on all sides. When each meatball is uniformly golden-brown and firm to a light press, remove it to a plate. Do not crowd the pan — a full pan will steam rather than fry.
6. 6
   Transfer the fried polpette to the finished tomato sauce. Stir once, gently, to submerge them. Simmer uncovered on a low heat for 20 minutes. At the end, the polpette should feel yielding when pressed with a spoon — they will have absorbed some sauce and become part of it.
7. 7
   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the spaghetti alla chitarra until al dente — the pasta should offer slight resistance at the centre when bitten. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta water.
8. 8
   Transfer the drained pasta directly to the pan of sauce, away from the polpette. Toss to coat, loosening with a little pasta water if needed, until each strand is evenly dressed and the sauce clings in the chitarra's rough grooves. Serve in warmed bowls with several polpette per portion and a generous grating of Pecorino over the top.