Spiced Lamb Ragu over Fresh Mint Fettuccine

Directions

1. First, prepare the pasta dough. Get a small pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Have a bowl filled with ice water handy. Boil the mint leaves for about a minute and then transfer them with a slotted spoon right into the ice water to stop the cooking. It's the same as when you blanch vegetables! Take the leaves and either put them into a mortar, or into a food processor. If you are using a mortar, crush the leaves thoroughly with the pestle to make them into a paste. If you want to use the processor, you are basically going to puree the mint leaves into the same paste consistency.
2. Take the flour and make it into a large well. Crack the eggs into the center of the well, along with the mint leaf paste and pinch of salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs while slowly incorporating the flour without breaking the well. Once a dough starts to form, bring it all together with your hands into a big ball of dough. Knead the pasta dough for about 2-3 minutes to really make sure it is beautiful and uniform. Wrap it in plastic, and let it rest for an hour. This lets the gluten in the flour relax to make it really tender.
3. While the dough rests, prepare the spiced lamb ragu. Get a large pot on the stove and heat the olive oil in it over medium high heat. Brown the lamb until completely cooked through. While it is cooking, season it and spice it up with the coriander, cinnamon, salt, cumin, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Add in the onion and let it get soft and fragrant. Next, add in the garlic and tomato paste and let them cook for about 30 seconds. Then pour in the sriracha, Worcestershire and red wine. Give everything a big stir and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes to let the alcohol in the wine cook off. Pour in the crushed tomato and bring the mixture to a boil. Give it another big stir and reduce it to a simmer. Let the spiced lamb ragu simmer for an hour to let the flavors meld beautifully.
4. Get a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta and salt it until it tastes like the sea. When the dough is rested, it's time to roll it out. This is the most fun part! First cut the ball of dough into quarters. Then roll out each quarter super thin, until you can almost see your hand through it. I use a pasta roller attachment on my kitchen aid mixer and it is fantastic! See my post on fresh pasta making to get detailed instructions on how to roll out and cut the pasta. Each quarter will get so long that it will need to be cut in half to be the right length, so you will end up with 8 sheets of pasta. You can cut each sheet into ribbons by hand (that's what fettuccine means, little ribbons!) or use the fettuccine cutting attachment that usually comes with the pasta roller.
5. By this time, the water should be boiling and the spiced lamb ragu should be ready! Get the fettuccine into the boiling water to cook, it will only take about a minute. Then drain it and add it into the pot with the spiced lamb ragu. Toss everything together thoroughly for about a minute, then take the pot off of the heat. You're ready to serve! Plate the pasta and sprinkle some of the little ribbons of fresh mint on top for a pretty pop of green. Enjoy and buon appetito!