Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Mini Meatballs & Ragù

Steps

1. 1
   Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the Italian sausage with onion, adding a bit of cheese and a few basil stems for aroma.
2. 2
   Add the homemade tomato sauce and let it simmer gently, allowing the flavors to meld without wasting any ingredients.
3. 3
   For the meatballs, mix ground beef with sausage, then add an egg, Parmesan cheese, a touch of lemon, garlic, and bread that has been soaked in milk.
4. 4
   Wash your hands and gently shape the mixture into very small meatballs — about 250 of them — treating it as a true labor of love.
5. 5
   Fry the meatballs until nicely browned on the outside.
6. 6
   Transfer the fried meatballs into the tomato sauce and let them simmer to absorb the flavor.
7. 7
   To make the pasta, combine flour and semolina with whole eggs, knead into a dough, and let it rest to relax the gluten.
8. 8
   Roll out the dough and cut it into traditional 'spaghetti alla chitarra' style noodles, a specialty from central Italy.
9. 9
   Boil the pasta until cooked, then toss it with the sauce and meatballs, finishing with plenty of fresh basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.