Rachael's Bucatini with Meatball Dumplings

For the meatballs, rough chop the cotto and finely chop in a food processor. Place ground ham and ground raw meats in a large bowl, make a well, and season the meats with salt and pepper. Combine garlic, breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl, and let it absorb into breadcrumbs. Add ricotta and egg to the well, cheese, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, fennel and EVOO. Add breadcrumbs to well and mix until just combined. Roll meat into 2-2 ¼-inch balls and place on parchment-lined tray.  

For the sauce, place a large Dutch oven over medium heat with EVOO and melt butter into oil. Add garlic and onion, heat to infuse the garlic into oil and butter, then add the tomatoes, passata, stock, salt, sugar and basil. Simmer 30 minutes, then add the meatball dumplings to the bubbling sauce, reduce heat to low simmer and cook partially covered 1-1 ½ hours, gently stirring occasionally.

To serve, bring water to a boil, season with salt and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions. Reserve about ¾ cup starchy water before draining. Drain pasta and toss with butter, a little more than half the red sauce, grated cheese and starchy water as needed to keep the pasta saucy, evenly coated, and the sauce emulsified. Arrange meatballs on a platter or bowls of bucatini. Pass extra sauce and cheese at table.