Although this pasta is called macaroni in fact it is made with "zite", the thick spaghetti with a hole inside that are broken up into longish pieces. Make the Neapolitan ragù sauce. Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan and throw in the zite. Slice the caciocavallo into thin slivers. Strain the pasta and place some in a serving dish, then a layer of sauce, a few slivers of cacciocavallo and a few leaves of basil, then another layer of pasta until you have finished all the ingredients.
Serve immediately. You can use the meat of the ragù for your second course.

Neapolitan ragù sauce

This traditional tomato and meat sauce takes a long time to prepare, needing between 3 and 5 hours of very gentle cooking

If you are using a piece of leg, tie the meat into a roll. Use a terracotta casserole if available. Place the diced bacon fat and lard in the casserole, heat and when it starts melting place the meat inside. Cover with water and cook at moderate heat covered with a lid.
When all the water has evaporated, pour a glass of good red wine on and let it evaporate on low heat. Turn the meat occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan, adding the extra wine.
When it has all evaporated add the tomato sauce and cook for another half hour. Add 2 glasses of water and cook on low heat with the lid on until the sauce is thick and dark. Remove the meat, that can be used apart.
If it has broken up completely as in the case of spare ribs, use it as the sauce for spaghetti

Tomato sauce — Sugo di pomodoro

Heat the olive oil in the saucepan and add the onion. Cook on gentle heat so as not to burn the onion. When golden add the celery and the tomato. Season for salt and pepper and add a tbsp of sugar. Cook on gentle heat for about 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir.It will darken in colour and thicken noticeably. Add a few basil leaves and cook another 5 minutes.
The sauce is good both left in bits or sieved depending on the dish. If you use and electric blender you should allow it to rest for a quarter of and hour to let the air out before using it.
It deep freezes very well and lasts a few days in the refrigerator.

N.B. If you are using fresh tomatoes you can either remove the skin immediately or at the end. To remove the skin before cooking, plonk the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds, remove them and holding them on the tines of a fork peel them. Use drop tomatoes, if you can find them, or ones that contain less water. If you wish to cook the peel with the tomato you can either sieve it out at the end or blend it into the sauce with the blender. Many wish to keep the peel for its nutritional qualities.