Spaghetti alla chitarra con le pallottine

Step 1: Heap 14 oz durum wheat semolina flour or '00' flour on a board, make a well and crack in 4 eggs. Beat them with a fork, drawing in the flour, then knead into a smooth, firm dough. Wrap and rest at room temperature.

Step 2: Mix 10 ½ oz beef mince, 1 egg, 1 oz pecorino, 1 pinch grated nutmeg and ½ tsp salt until smooth. With damp hands, roll into balls the size of a chickpea and set them on a floured tray.

Step 3: Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-low heat and cook ½ onion until soft.

Step 4: Add 3 cups tomato passata, 6 basil leaves and 1 tsp salt and simmer gently until slightly thickened.

Step 5: Drop the meatballs into the sauce, shake the pan to cover them and simmer without stirring for the first 5 minutes, so they firm up and don't break. Cook until they are cooked through and reach 160°F; cut one open to check there's no pink.

Step 6: Roll the dough into sheets about as thick as the gap between the chitarra wires (about 3 mm) and the length of the frame. Lay a sheet on the wires and roll firmly with a rolling pin to cut it into strands. Without a chitarra, cut thick sheets into 3 mm strips with a knife.

Step 7: Toss the strands in a little semolina so they don't stick. Cook in plenty of boiling salted water until tender but with bite, usually 3–4 minutes. The usual mistake is overcooking: fresh egg pasta goes from springy to soft in a minute.

Step 8: Drain and toss with the sauce and meatballs. Serve with 1 ¾ oz pecorino.