Timballo di Anelletti with Ragù, Peas and a Golden Cheese Crust

Finely chop the onion. Heat 40 g olive oil in a wide pot with a capacity of about 4 l. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add both ground meats and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, breaking up the clumps with a spoon, until the meat browns and the excess released liquid evaporates. Pour in the wine and cook for 3–5 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute.

Pour in 400 ml water, add 3 g salt and the pepper, and mix thoroughly. Simmer over low heat with the lid ajar for about 40 minutes, stirring across the bottom occasionally. Add the frozen peas and simmer for another 15–20 minutes, until tender. If the sauce sticks or dries out too quickly, add small amounts from the measured reserve of up to 150 ml water; use only as much as needed. Before combining with the pasta, the ragù must be thick: a spoon drawn across the bottom should leave a trail visible for a moment, and there should not be a thin puddle of sauce around the meat. If needed, reduce for a few minutes without the lid. Use all the finished sauce, including the peas, juices and fat, in the bake.

While the sauce simmers, prepare a springform pan 24 cm across, at least 7 cm tall and with a capacity of about 3 l. Grease the base and sides with 5 g olive oil from the finishing allowance, then coat evenly with 20 g breadcrumbs; leave all of them in the pan. Drain the primosale, weigh out 100 g and cut into cubes about 1 cm wide. Grate the caciocavallo: use 60 g in the pasta and set 20 g aside for the top. Toward the end of simmering, preheat the oven to 180°C on the conventional (no-fan) setting.

While the sauce is still simmering, bring 3000 ml water to a boil in a separate pot with a capacity of at least 5 l and add 25 g salt. When the ragù is nearly ready, add the anelletti and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directs. Taste toward the end: the rings should hold their shape and still be noticeably firm in the center, since they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain thoroughly, discarding all the water. Do not rinse the pasta. Immediately move on to mixing it with the hot ragù.

Add the drained anelletti, 60 g grated caciocavallo and all the primosale cubes to the pot of finished thick ragù. Mix thoroughly so the sauce, peas and cheeses are evenly distributed among the rings. Transfer everything to the prepared pan and level with a broad spoon, pressing lightly without crushing the pasta. Leave at least 1 cm of space below the top rim of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 20 g caciocavallo and 15 g breadcrumbs, then drizzle with the remaining 5 g olive oil.

Set the springform pan on a flat baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 180°C for about 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp, the cheese has melted and the sauce starts bubbling gently at the edges. If the breadcrumbs brown too quickly, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil toward the end of baking. If the timbale needs more time, bake for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on the crust.

Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. This rest helps the bake firm up. Carefully loosen the edges from the sides with a thin knife and remove the ring; leave the hot springform base beneath the timbale. Cut into 6 servings, lift with a broad spatula and serve immediately while the center is still hot.