SERVES
10-12 as a starter
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
- oil, for cooking
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped into large chunks
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 500g veal rump
- 1kg chuck steak
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- splash of red wine
- 800ml chicken stock
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- 50g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
For the pasta dough:
- 400g ‘00’ flour, plus a little extra if needed
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the meat broth:
- 200g beef brisket
- 100g smoked bacon or pancetta, in one piece
- 1 Toulouse sausage (about 50g)
- 1 free-range chicken (about 1.5kg), jointed into 8-10 pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 bay leaf
METHOD
Add a dash of oil to a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients for the filling. Cook the vegetables and thyme until soft and caramelised. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
Add the veal rump and steak to the pan and cook to caramelise and colour the meat all over. Swap out the meat for the vegetables in the pan, add the tomato purée and cook for two minutes, then return the meat.
Add the wine to deglaze, cooking until it disappears, then add enough stock to cover the meat. Top up with water if needed. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper over the pan and cover with a lid. Cook on a low simmer for three hours, until the meat is falling apart.
Meanwhile, for the pasta dough, mix together the flour with half a teaspoon of salt and tip on to a work surface or board, making a well in the centre. Mix together the eggs and oil and pour two thirds into the well. Starting from the outside, work the flour into the liquid until a dough forms. You may need to add some more egg if the dough doesn’t come together.
Knead for 5-10 minutes, until smooth, firm and elastic, then wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for an hour before using (the dough will keep for up to 24 hours in the fridge if wrapped tightly, first in cling film and then in foil).
When the meat’s cooking time is up, lift the vegetables and meat out of the sauce. Set aside separately and discard the thyme.
Place the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a bowl and pour in enough of the sauce to bind them together and make a moist dough.
Mash the vegetables and mix them into the breadcrumbs. Finely chop 150g of the cooked meat and add it to the mixture. Combine well and season. Taste – the flavour should be meaty with a touch of Parmesan, not bready. Put in the fridge to set.
Cut the pasta dough into four pieces and use a rolling pin or the palm of your hand to flatten each one to the width of your pasta machine. With the machine on its widest setting, run each piece through it twice.
Reduce the setting by one notch and run them through twice again. If the dough feels a bit sticky, add a little flour, but not too much as this will dry it out. Run each piece through the machine twice on each notch until you get to the narrowest one.
Cut the pasta into long strips, 10cm wide. Put two thirds of a teaspoon of filling at intervals of about 2.5cm along each strip, about two thirds of the way down.
Brush between and around each mound of filling with leftover egg mixture.Fold over the long side of the pasta so that it completely covers the filling.
Cup your hand and carefully press down around each mound to get all the air out. Using a 3-4cm cutter or shot glass, cut out individual rounds. Either freeze the anolini or allow them to dry and use within 24 hours.
For the meat broth, cut the brisket, bacon or pancetta, and sausage into chunks about the same size as the chicken pieces. Put the chopped meat and chicken in a large pan and pour in cold water to cover.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour, skimming off any scum. After an hour, add the vegetables and herbs and season. Simmer for 1-1½ hours.
Strain the liquid through a sieve into a clean pan and discard the meat. Check the seasoning.
Bring the meat broth to the boil in a large pan, tip in the anolini and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface. Serve broth and anolini sprinkled with Parmesan.
