Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) with Tajarin — Photo: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Active Time:

1 hr 5 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

At Casa di Langa in Piedmont, chef Daniel Zeilinga uses tomato water made from fresh tomatoes strained overnight in the ragù; this streamlined version uses a mixture of tomato juice and water, making the dish achievable on any evening at any time of year. One pound of purchased fresh egg spaghetti or about 12 ounces of dried thin spaghetti may be substituted for the tajarin. A final drizzle of olive oil adds a rich finish to the lean meat sauce.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To give the tajarin the best color, use pasture-raised or free-range eggs, which have deep-orange yolks.

Find semolina and 00 flour at most specialty stores or online at italianfoodonline.com.

Make ahead

Ragù can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator. Uncooked tajarin can be placed on a flour-dusted baking sheet, covered tightly, and refrigerated up to 1 day or frozen in ziplock plastic freezer bags up to 3 weeks. (Pasta can be cooked directly from frozen.)

Suggested pairing

Lively, berry-inflected Barbera: Fontanafredda Briccotondo

Ingredients

Ragù

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
10 ounces mild Italian sausage, casings removed
6 ounces 90% lean ground veal
1 small (6-ounce) white onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 medium celery stalks (about 4 ounces), trimmed and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 small carrots (about 3 1/2 ounces), peeled and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup dry white wine (such as Arneis)
1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup tomato juice (such as Campbell's) (1 [5 1/2-ounce] can)
3 (5-inch) thyme sprigs
2 fresh bay leaves
1 (5-inch) sage sprig
1 (5-inch) rosemary sprig

Tajarin

1 1/3 cups fine semolina flour (such as Caputo) (about 7 3/4 ounces), plus more for dusting
1/4 cup 00 flour (such as Caputo) (about 1 1/8 ounces), plus more for dusting
14 large egg yolks

Additional Ingredients

4 quarts water
1/4 cup fine sea salt

Directions

Make the ragù

Heat oil in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium. Add sausage and veal; cook, stirring often to break meat into small crumbles, until meat is browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened but not caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven, until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 3/4 cups water and tomato juice. Using kitchen twine, tie together thyme, bay leaves, sage, and rosemary to form a bouquet garni; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 2 hours. Remove and discard bouquet garni. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Keep ragù warm over low until ready to use.

While ragù cooks, make the tajarin

Whisk together semolina flour and 00 flour in a large bowl; transfer to a clean large work surface. Make a well about 5 inches in diameter in center of flour mixture. Add egg yolks to well, and whisk using a fork to break yolks. Using fork, push some of the flour mixture from inside edge of well into eggs, and whisk with fork until just incorporated. Continue incorporating flour mixture into eggs and whisking with fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap; let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
Unwrap dough, and divide evenly into 4 portions. Working with 1 dough portion at a time (and keeping remaining portions covered with a towel), flatten dough to 1/3-inch thickness. Roll flattened dough through a pasta machine with rollers on widest setting. Fold dough in half crosswise, and reroll through pasta machine until dough is as wide as the pasta machine (about 5 to 5 1/2 inches). Continue rolling dough through pasta machine, reducing width of rollers 1 setting at a time, until dough has been rolled through setting 3 (the fourth-thinnest setting), dusting dough with 00 flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Dust both sides of dough with 00 flour, and fold in half crosswise. Starting at the folded edge, very loosely roll up dough into a log to form long coiled strands. Cut log crosswise into 1/8-inch-wide pieces. Unroll log; sprinkle with 00 flour, and cut pasta strands in half crosswise to form pieces about 12 to 14 inches long. Form pasta strands into small bundles or nests, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet dusted with semolina flour; cover with plastic wrap. Repeat process with remaining 3 dough portions.
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high. Stir in salt, and return to a boil. Add tajarin; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider or fine wire-mesh strainer, remove tajarin from water, and add to ragù in Dutch oven. Cook, uncovered, over medium, stirring often, until ragù thickens slightly and coats tajarin, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide mixture evenly among 4 to 6 bowls. Drizzle lightly with additional oil, and serve immediately.