Agnolotti (pronounced anneeolottee) are a Piemontese stuffed pasta; the filling is generally meat-based, and the meats are often leftovers. But not always; there are also agnolotti with a ricotta-based filling, seasoned with unsalted butter and fresh sage. Very nice, and here's a recipe. In the absence of Piemontese cheeses use a mix of fairly mild cheeses, at least some of which become creamy as they melt. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the dough:
- 4 1/5 cups (500 g) flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- For the filling:
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) mixed cheeses, including stracchino (a mild, creamy cheese), toma (an almost buttery,
- creamy goat's milk cheese), fontina, and so on.
- 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano
- A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
- For cooking and seasoning:
- Broth or boiling water
- Meat sauce, or melted unsalted butter with a little fresh sage
- More grated cheese for those who want it.
Preparation:
Make the dough from the flour, eggs, and just enough of the milk for it to hold together well (see instructions if need be), put it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit.
Dice the firmer cheeses finely. Lightly mash the softer cheeses in a bowl with the tines of a fork to break them up, than work in the remaining ingredients of the filling, stirring until you have a homogenous mixture.
Take the pasta dough and roll it out dime-thin. Cut the sheet into two equal-sized pieces, dust one lightly with corn meal, roll it up, and cover it so it stays moist. Dot the half of the sheet still on your work surface with blebs of filling about the size of a small hazelnut, putting the dots in rows that are about an inch apart (I have seen agnolotti that are smaller). Unroll the other sheet, shake off the corn meal, and lay it over the first. Tamp the sheet down well around the filling, so it sticks, and cut the agnolotti free with a serrated pasta wheel.
Come time to cook them, if you are using butter and sage heat 2/3 cup unsalted butter in a pan with the sage, and remove it from the flames when the sage begins to whisper (you don't want to brown the butter or burn the sage). Otherwise, heat your meat sauce through. In the meantime, bring broth or water to a boil. Cook the agnolotti for a few minutes, till they rise to the surface, and carefully remove them with a slotted spoon -- don't risk pouring them into a colander and having them break. Season them with the sauce of choice, and serve.
A wine? Roero Arneis, a white, would be nice.
Dice the firmer cheeses finely. Lightly mash the softer cheeses in a bowl with the tines of a fork to break them up, than work in the remaining ingredients of the filling, stirring until you have a homogenous mixture.
Take the pasta dough and roll it out dime-thin. Cut the sheet into two equal-sized pieces, dust one lightly with corn meal, roll it up, and cover it so it stays moist. Dot the half of the sheet still on your work surface with blebs of filling about the size of a small hazelnut, putting the dots in rows that are about an inch apart (I have seen agnolotti that are smaller). Unroll the other sheet, shake off the corn meal, and lay it over the first. Tamp the sheet down well around the filling, so it sticks, and cut the agnolotti free with a serrated pasta wheel.
Come time to cook them, if you are using butter and sage heat 2/3 cup unsalted butter in a pan with the sage, and remove it from the flames when the sage begins to whisper (you don't want to brown the butter or burn the sage). Otherwise, heat your meat sauce through. In the meantime, bring broth or water to a boil. Cook the agnolotti for a few minutes, till they rise to the surface, and carefully remove them with a slotted spoon -- don't risk pouring them into a colander and having them break. Season them with the sauce of choice, and serve.
A wine? Roero Arneis, a white, would be nice.
