Veal Agnolotti: Agnolotti dal Plin
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
- 5 whole large eggs, plus 5 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only
- 1 pound ground veal shoulder
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 pounds spinach, washed and spun dry and roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 3 large eggs
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To make the dough: Sift together and then mound 3 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs.
- Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
- As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape.
- The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
- Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands.
- Knead for about 15 minutes, adding any of the remaining four if necessary to create a cohesive mass.
- Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits.
- Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes.
- The dough should be elastic and a little sticky.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- For the filling: bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
- In a 12-inch saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter over high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Add the garlic and rosemary, and let cook until the garlic is light golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the veal and pork meat, and brown on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Do not be afraid to let the meat begin to caramelize a bit.
- Cook the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute.
- Drain well and add to the meat.
- Stir in the Parmigiano, 3 whole eggs, a pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined.
- Set aside.
- Cut the pasta dough into 3 equally sized pieces.
- Re-wrap 2 of the pieces in plastic wrap and set aside.
- Begin working with the 1 unwrapped piece of dough.
- On a lightly floured work surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the pasta dough until it is 1/8-inch thick (you can also use a pasta machine and roll out the dough on its thinnest setting).
- Lay the resulting pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface with a long side facing you.
- Trim the edges so they are straight.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop equally sized spoonfuls of the filling and place along the bottom half of the pasta sheet, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border of dough at the bottom and sides: each dollop of filling should be approximately 1 1/2-inches away from the next.
- Pull the top edge of the pasta up and over the filling.
- The dough should form 1 large pocket over the dollops of filling.
- Seal the agnolotti by gently carefully molding the pasta over the filling and pressing lightly with your index finger to seal the edge of the dough to the pasta sheet; don't drag your finger along the dough to seal, or you risk ripping the dough.
- When it is sealed, there should be about 1/2-inch of excess dough visible along the bottom of the mounds of filling (where you sealed it).
- Be certain that you are sealing tightly while pressing out any pockets of air.
- Seal the left and right ends of the dough.
- To shape agnolotti: Starting at 1 end of the dough, place the thumb and forefinger of each hand together as if you were going to pinch something and, leaving about 1-inch of space between your hands and holding your fingers vertically, pinch the filling in 1-inch increments, making about 3/4-inch of "pinched" are between each pocket of filling.
- It is important to leave this much "pinched" area between the agnolotti, or when the agnolotti are separated, they may come unsealed.
- Run a sharp knife or crimped pastry wheel along the bottom edge of the folded-over dough, separating the strip of filled pockets from the remainder of the pasta sheet.
- Don't cut too close to the filling, or you risk breaking the seal.
- Separate the individual agnolotti by cutting the center of each pinched area, rolling the pastry wheel away from you.
- Working quickly, place the agnolotti on a baking sheet dusted with a thin layer of cornmeal, which will help prevent sticking.
- Don't let the agnolotti touch each other, or they may stick together.
- Repeat with the 2 remaining dough balls until the entire bowl of filling has been used.
- Let the shaped agnolotti rest for 24 minutes.
- Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil, and add 2 tablespoons salt.
- Add the agnolotti to the water and cook until tender, about 4 minutes total.
- Drain well and toss with a sauce or ragu of your choice or a combination of beef broth and butter.
- Sprinkle with cheese and parsley and serve.
wholewheat flour, eggs, butter, garlic, rosemary, veal shoulder, ground pork, freshly grated parmigianoreggiano, eggs, nutmeg, salt
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/veal-agnolotti-agnolotti-dal-plin-recipe3.html (may not work)