Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Pallottine

Ingredients

• 400g durum wheat semolina
• 4 eggs, for the pasta
• 300g twice-minced beef and pork
• 1 egg, for the pallottine
• 60g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Grating of nutmeg
• 300ml olive oil, for frying
• 700ml tomato passata
• 150g beef shin in one piece
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 2 cloves
• 100ml white wine
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 40g grated pecorino, to serve
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Mound the semolina on a board, break in the four eggs with a pinch of salt and knead for 10 minutes to a firm, smooth dough.
• Wrap the dough and rest it for 1 hour.
• Mix the minced meat with one egg, the Parmigiano, the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Roll the mixture into pallottine no bigger than half a centimetre across.
• Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery.

Steps

1. Warm the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy pan over a low heat.
2. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery and sweat them for 10 minutes.
3. Add the beef shin and brown it on all sides for 6 minutes.
4. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for 2 minutes.
5. Add the passata and the cloves, then season with salt.
6. Simmer the sauce very gently, half covered, for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
7. Heat the frying oil in a small pan to 170C.
8. Fry the pallottine in small batches for 1 minute until browned, then drain them on kitchen paper.
9. Lift the beef shin and the cloves out of the sauce.
10. Slide the fried pallottine into the sauce and simmer them for 30 minutes.
11. Roll the rested dough into sheets 3mm thick, a little narrower than your chitarra.
12. Lay a sheet on the chitarra strings and press it through with a rolling pin.
13. Shake the cut strands loose and dust them with semolina.
14. Cut the rest of the dough the same way.
15. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
16. Cook the chitarra for 3 minutes, until the strands rise and are chewy.
17. Drain the pasta and toss it through the sauce and pallottine.
18. Serve with grated pecorino and a good grind of black pepper.