Beef Stroganoff Agnolotti with Ribeye

STEP 1: MAKE THE AGNOLOTTI DOUGH

Mound the flour on a board and make a well in the centre. Add the egg yolks, whole egg, olive oil and fine sea salt, and work the flour in from the inside of the well with your fingertips until a shaggy mass forms. Knead firmly for 8-10 minutes - this is a stiff, yolk-rich dough and it needs the work - until it is smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight and bring fully back to room temperature before rolling. Matt made the pasta fresh in the arena, and there is no shortcut here that preserves the dish.

STEP 2: ROAST THE MUSHROOMS

Heat the oven to 425F (220C). Toss the quartered cremini and the shiitake caps with the neutral oil and a generous seasoning of salt, then spread them across the largest tray you own in a single layer - crowding them robs you of colour and colour is the whole point. Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until deeply browned at the edges and reduced in volume by about half. Meanwhile soak the dried porcini in the hot water for 20 minutes, lift them out, chop them, and strain the liquor through muslin, leaving the grit behind. This browning is the flavour of the finished dish: pale mushrooms give a pale sauce, and no amount of cream will rescue it.

STEP 3: BUILD THE BASE AND DIVIDE IT

Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Sweat the shallots with a pinch of salt for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent but not coloured, then add the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for one minute more. Add the roasted mushrooms and the chopped porcini and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Pull the pan from the heat, add the cognac, return it to the heat and let it bubble away almost entirely. Season assertively with salt and black pepper and cool to room temperature. Now divide the base into two equal halves: one becomes the filling, the other becomes the sauce. This division is the structural idea of the dish and the reason the two components taste of one another.

STEP 4: FINISH THE FILLING

Pulse half the mushroom base in a food processor to a coarse, spreadable paste, stopping short of a puree so a little texture remains. Scrape into a bowl and fold in the drained ricotta, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg yolk and nutmeg. It should hold a soft peak on a spoon and not weep; tighten with dried breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time only if needed. Taste and season well - it will be sealed inside pasta, so it must be assertive now, very slightly too much on the spoon. Chill for 30 minutes, then load into a piping bag.

STEP 5: ROLL AND FORM THE AGNOLOTTI

Divide the dough into four. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll it down to the second-thinnest setting - thin enough to read print through. Lay the sheet on a lightly floured bench with a long edge towards you. Pipe a continuous finger-thick rope of filling along that edge, leaving a 3/4-inch (2 cm) border. Brush the border lightly with water, fold the near edge over the filling and press firmly along the length to seal, working the air out as you go. Trim the sealed seam with a pastry wheel. Pinch across the tube at roughly 1-inch (2.5 cm) intervals to separate the pockets, then cut through each pinch with the wheel for the classic agnolotti pleat. Transfer to a semolina-dusted tray and repeat with the remaining dough. Hold uncovered at cool room temperature for up to 2 hours, or freeze on the tray and transfer to a bag.

STEP 6: BUILD THE STROGANOFF SAUCE

Put the second half of the mushroom base into a saucepan with the beef stock and the strained porcini liquor. Bring to a simmer and reduce by about a third, 15-20 minutes, until it coats a spoon. Blend roughly half of it smooth and stir it back in - this gives body without losing the mushroom pieces. Whisk in the Dijon mustard. Take the pan off the heat, let it stop bubbling, then stir in the creme fraiche followed by the sour cream. Never let the sauce boil once the dairy is in, or it will split. Season, then sharpen with the sherry vinegar a few drops at a time until the richness lifts, and hold warm off direct heat. This is the element the judges singled out, so do not lighten it.

STEP 7: COOK THE RIBEYE CAP

Bring the meat to room temperature and season it generously with kosher salt at least 40 minutes ahead. If you have the whole cap, roll and tie it into a cylinder for even cooking. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet until it just shimmers, then sear the beef hard on all surfaces for 8-10 minutes in total, turning to build an even crust. Add the butter, bruised garlic and thyme, tilt the pan and baste continuously for 2-3 minutes. Pull at an internal temperature of 125F (52C) for rare to medium-rare; the cap is fat-marbled and forgiving, but it is also the tenderest part of the animal and there is nothing to gain past medium-rare. Rest on a board for a full 10 minutes, loosely covered.

STEP 8: PICKLE THE SHALLOT AND COOK THE PASTA

While the beef rests, warm the white wine vinegar with the sugar and a pinch of salt, pour it over the shallot rings and leave for 10 minutes. Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to a gentle boil - a rolling boil will burst the agnolotti. Cook them in two batches for 2-3 minutes, until they float and the sealed pleat is tender. Lift them straight into the warm sauce with a spider skimmer and turn gently to coat, loosening with a spoonful of pasta water if the sauce has tightened. Finally, off the heat, swirl in the cold butter to gloss the sauce.

STEP 9: PLATE

Slice the rested beef across the grain into pieces roughly the width of the agnolotti and season the cut faces with flaky sea salt. Spoon the sauced agnolotti into warm shallow bowls, around eight per serving, and arrange the beef alongside rather than on top. Spoon over a little extra sauce. Finish with a few pickled shallot rings, dill fronds, sliced chives and a light grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Keep the plating restrained: the simplicity of the presentation is part of the dish, not an omission from it.