Agnolotti

Agnolotti is a traditional dish from Piedmont, typically filled with a meat stuffing. Here’s how you can prepare them:

Ingredients

• For the pasta:
  • 300 g of durum wheat flour
  • 3 large eggs
• For the filling:
  • 200 g of beef or veal roast (already cooked)
  • 100 g of sausage
  • 50 g of cooked ham
  • 50 g of boiled spinach
  • 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • Nutmeg, to taste
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the pasta: place the flour in a mound on a pastry board, break the eggs in the middle, and knead until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Let the dough rest, wrapped in cling film, for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by grinding the already cooked roast meat together with the sausage and cooked ham. Add the chopped spinach, Parmesan, an egg and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend all the ingredients well.
3. Roll out the pasta dough with the help of a pasta machine or a rolling pin until you get a thin sheet.
4. Distribute small amounts of filling on the sheet, spacing them about 3-4 cm apart from each other.
5. Fold the dough over itself to cover the filling and press between one mound of filling and another, either with your hands or with a special tool, to seal the agnolotti well.
6. Cut the agnolotti with a pasta wheel or a knife, shaping them as you prefer.
7. Cook the agnolotti in plenty of boiling salted water for about 3-5 minutes or until they float to the surface.
8. Drain the agnolotti and dress them with the sauce of your choice, such as a simple melted butter and sage or roast sauce.

Curiosity

Traditionally, agnolotti are served in a “towel”, meaning they are drained directly onto the white towel that had been previously placed in a deep dish, without dressing. This practice was common for tasting the agnolotti and appreciating the flavor of the filling, which should not be masked by other tastes.