Fresh pasta with steak sauce

1. Begin by making the sauce. Cut the steak into 4 rectangular pieces of equal size, then using a meat mallet or rolling pin, flatten the pieces out to a thickness of 3-4mm. Sprinkle each piece with parsley, garlic and cheese. Roll them up tightly from the short side to make neat rolls. Secure with cook’s twine or cocktail sticks.

2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and gently fry the shallots and the steak rolls for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned on all sides. Add the herb sprigs, passata and chilli flakes, if using, and simmer gently for 1-1½  hours, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened and darkened and the meat is very tender.

3. Meanwhile, make the pasta. Place the semolina and salt in a large bowl, add the warm water and using your hand, bring it together to make a firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth, then cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 30 minutes

4. To make cavatelli, break off a walnut sized ball of dough and roll it out into a long thin rope, about 3mm in diameter, then cut into 2cm lengths. Using the tips of your index and middle fingers, firmly press each piece and pull dough toward you so it lengthens slightly and forms a curl in the middle. Continue to shape all the pasta, laying them on a large tray to prevent them sticking together.

5. Cook the pasta in boiling, lightly salted water for 5 minutes until it rises to the surface and is tender. Drain well and return to the pan.

6. Lift the steak rolls out of the pan and set aside. Ladle the sauce over the pasta, mix well,  spoon into bowls and top with the remaining grated cheese and a little more oil. Traditionally, the steak rolls are served after the pasta as a main course with salad, however, you can slice them and place on top of the pasta, if preferred.