Instructions
Knead the semola with about 200 ml warm water and a pinch of salt into a firm, springy dough. Rest 30 minutes under a bowl.
40 minRoll ropes as thick as a pencil, cut into 2 cm pieces, and drag each across the board with two fingertips so it curls into a hollow shell. Park on semolina.
40 minBrown the ribs and sausage hard in the oil; remove. Soften the onion, garlic, and chile in the same fat.
12 minStir in the concentrate, then the wine; scrape and reduce by half.
5 minReturn the meat, add the passata and a glass of water, and simmer with the lid ajar until the rib meat loosens from the bone, about 2 hours. Season in the final stretch.
125 minBoil the cavatelli in well-salted water until they float plus one minute, 4 to 6 minutes total.
6 minToss the cavatelli with the sauce (meat lifted out for the second course, or shredded back in, house rules vary), loosening with pasta water. Pecorino over everything.
3 min
Chef's Tips
- Two fingers, real pressure: Drag hard enough that the dough curls back on itself; a shallow dent will not hold sauce. The board should rumble.
- The fat tells the truth: When a slick of brick-red fat rides the top of the pot, the ragù is ready; stir it back in or spoon a little off, but only after admiring it.
- In the Molise hills the same ragù hosts braciole, little rolled and tied beef bundles; add them alongside the ribs when you want the full ceremony.
