Sagne Chine

Ingredients

• 400g durum wheat semolina
• 100g plain flour
• 4 eggs, for the pasta
• 300g minced pork and beef
• 1 egg, for the meatballs
• 40g grated pecorino, for the meatballs
• 30g breadcrumbs
• 300g peas
• 3 globe artichokes
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 4 eggs, for hard-boiling
• 250g caciocavallo or provola, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 400ml tomato passata
• 100ml white wine
• 80g grated pecorino, for layering
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 300ml sunflower oil, for frying
• 1 lemon
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Mound the semolina and plain flour on a board, break in four eggs and knead for 10 minutes to a firm dough.
• Wrap the dough and rest it for 1 hour.
• Trim the artichokes down to the pale hearts and slice them thinly into water sharpened with lemon.
• Mix the minced meat with one egg, the breadcrumbs, 40g pecorino, salt and pepper.
• Roll the meat mixture into tiny balls no bigger than a marble.
• Dice the caciocavallo.

Steps

1. Boil the four eggs for 9 minutes, then cool and peel them.
2. Slice the boiled eggs into rounds.
3. Heat the sunflower oil in a small pan to 170C.
4. Fry the little meatballs in batches for 2 minutes until browned, then drain them on kitchen paper.
5. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion for 6 minutes.
6. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate for 2 minutes.
7. Add the passata, season with salt and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.
8. Heat the remaining olive oil in a second pan.
9. Drain the artichoke slices and fry them with the mushrooms for 8 minutes, until tender.
10. Add the peas and a ladle of water and cook for 5 minutes more.
11. Roll the rested pasta dough into sheets about 1mm thick.
12. Cut the sheets to fit a deep 30cm roasting dish.
13. Bring a wide pan of salted water to the boil.
14. Blanch the pasta sheets two at a time for 40 seconds, then lift them into cold water.
15. Spread the blanched sheets on damp cloths to drain.
16. Heat the oven to 190C.
17. Spoon a little sauce over the base of the dish and lay down the first pasta sheet.
18. Scatter over a third of the meatballs, vegetables, egg slices and diced cheese.
19. Spoon over some sauce and a dusting of pecorino.
20. Build two more layers the same way, finishing with a sheet of pasta.
21. Coat the top with the last of the sauce and the remaining pecorino.
22. Bake for 45 minutes, until the surface is blistered and crusted at the edges.
23. Rest the sagne chine for 20 minutes, then cut it into generous squares.