Lamb & sweetbread ravioli with braised lamb & white & green asparagus sauce

(Ravioli di agnello e animelle con asparagi bianchi e verdi)

Serves 6 (makes approximately 90 ravioli)

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) lamb shanks

fine sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting

25 g (1 oz) butter, plus 20 g (¾ oz) for frying sweetbreads

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for frying sweetbreads

300 g (10½ oz) lamb sweetbreads

1 brown onion, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, peeled

100 ml (3½ fl oz) red wine

1 thyme sprig

1 rosemary sprig

2.3 litres (80½ fl oz) chicken broth

100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) fresh egg pasta dough

fine semolina, for dusting

3 green asparagus spears, sliced 2 mm (1/16 inch) thin on an angle

3 white asparagus spears, sliced 2 mm (1/16 inch) thin on an angle

Season the lamb shanks with the sea salt and black pepper and dust with flour. Shake off excess flour and pan-fry in the butter and extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until brown. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, put the sweetbreads, half the onion, half the celery and half the carrot, then add the bay leaf, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Cover with water and season. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes more. Take off the heat and run the sweetbreads under cold water until cool. Discard the cooking liquid and vegetables.

Peel the skin and fat off the sweetbreads, dice and then pan-fry half of them over medium–high heat in 10 g (¼ oz) of the butter and ½ tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil until fully cooked. Set aside and cool.

To make the filling, add the remaining diced vegetables to the pan in which you sealed the shanks, place over medium heat and sauté till browned. Add the red wine and reduce by half, then add the shanks, thyme and rosemary and cover with the chicken broth. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 2–2½ hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove the meat from the bones, discarding the gristle and half of the fat.

Roughly chop the meat and fat and pulse in a food processor with the cooked sweetbreads until it is almost a paste, then stir through the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Reduce the shank cooking liquid over medium heat to a sauce consistency, skimming off any fat until reduced to 375 ml (13 fl oz/1½ cups). Strain the sauce and set aside.

To make the ravioli, roll the pasta dough to approximately 1 mm(¹/₃₂ inch) thickness. Cut round shapes about 6 cm (2½ inches) in diameter using a pastry cutter. Place 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture onto each circle and fold the pasta over to form a mezzaluna (half-moon). Press down the edges to seal. Use a small cutter to neaten the edges if desired. Dust lightly with the semolina and place on trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Pan-fry the remaining sweetbreads over medium–high heat in the remaining 10 g (¼ oz) butter and ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil until crisp and golden.

Cook the ravioli and asparagus slices in abundant salted boiling water until they rise to the surface. Serve with the crispy sweetbreads and sauce.