Tordelli Lucchesi con Ragù di Carne e Erbe

Ingredients

• For the pasta dough
• 400 g tipo 00 flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 lemon, zest only, half the zest into the dough
• For the braised meat (filling and ragù base combined)
• 500 g pork shoulder, or rabbit; braised and finely chopped, divided equally between filling and ragù
• 250 g veal, for the ragù portion
• 150 ml dry white wine, for deglazing the ragù
• 100 ml tomato passata, small amount only; the ragù is not a tomato sauce
• For the herb-ricotta filling component
• 250 g ricotta, well-drained
• 200 g spinach, cooked, squeezed dry, finely chopped
• 60 g Parmigiano Reggiano, aged, finely grated
• 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 lemon, zest only; the remaining zest from the dough lemon, plus a second lemon for the filling
• 1 tbsp Vin Santo, added to the braised meat portion of the filling
• To finish
• 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, aged, finely grated, for serving

Method

1. 1
   Braise the pork shoulder (or rabbit) in a covered pot with a little white wine and aromatics until fully tender. Remove, cool, and chop finely by hand — not in a machine, which compacts the texture. Divide the chopped braised meat equally: one half goes to the filling, one half into the ragù. This is the single act that produces the double-meat echo. The filling portion is done when the pieces are fine enough to form a cohesive mass but retain individual texture.
2. 2
   Make the ragù. Combine the ragù portion of the braised pork with the veal in a wide pan over medium heat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow it to reduce until the sharp alcohol smell dissipates. Add the tomato passata. Simmer on a low flame, partially covered, until the sauce is dense and unctuous — the ragù is ready when a spoon drawn across the base of the pan leaves a channel that closes slowly.
3. 3
   Prepare the herb-ricotta component of the filling. Combine the drained ricotta, chopped spinach, grated Parmigiano, nutmeg, and the zest of one full lemon. Mix until homogeneous. Keep this component separate from the braised meat portion. Combine the two filling components — braised meat with its Vin Santo, and the herb-ricotta — only at the last moment before filling. Rest the combined filling in the refrigerator overnight; it is ready when firm enough to hold a clean quenelle without slumping.
4. 4
   Make the pasta dough. Mound the flour on a work surface, make a well, and break in the eggs. Add the zest of half a lemon. Work from the centre outward until a rough dough forms, then knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It is ready when it springs back slowly under a pressed thumb and shows a silky, barely tacky surface. Wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
5. 5
   Roll the dough thin — thinner than standard filled pasta, to balance the substantial filling. Cut into ovals of 8 × 5 cm. Place a modest amount of filling at the centre of each oval: the large size is already substantial and overfilling causes bursting. Fold and seal firmly, pressing the air out from the centre toward the edge. The sealed edge must show no air pockets and hold fast under light pressure.
6. 6
   Cook the tordelli in abundant salted boiling water. Because of their size and the density of the filling, they require longer than standard filled pasta. They are ready when they rise to the surface and the sealed edge yields to gentle pressure without resistance — taste one; the pasta should be tender but without rawness at the fold.
7. 7
   Dress with the warm ragù. Finish with aged Parmigiano Reggiano grated at the table. The dish is complete when filling and sauce read as related but distinct — meat in both, but the filling carrying its citrus and herb thread and the sauce its wine-and-tomato depth.