AGNOLOTTI RECIPES

Steps:

• Make a mound 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, oil and any other flavoring you choose. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, oil and flavorings and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when 1/2 of the flour is incorporated.
• Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
• Using a pasta machine, roll out the dough to the thinnest setting.
• Bring 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
• In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat butter until foam subsides, add onion and cook until soft and golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool. Add ricotta, Fontina, goat cheese, marjoram, parsley and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
• To form agnolotti, cut 3 inch strips of pasta lengthwise and place 1 tablespoon cheese filling 3 inches apart. Fold top of pasta down to bottom and pinch closed. Press dough flat between lumps of filling. Using a pastry cutter, cut half moons using folded part as flat side of moon. Continue until pasta and filling are finished.
• When all agnolotti are finished, drop into boiling water and lower heat. Cook at high simmer until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter with mushrooms in a 12 to 14 inch saute pan. Drain agnolotti and place in pan. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and toss over medium heat to coat. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• To make pasta, whisk egg, egg yolks and olive oil together in a bowl. Place flour in a pile on the bench and make a well in the centre. Pour in egg mixture and gradually mix together, bringing the flour in from the edges until combined. Knead until smooth, adding a little extra flour if needed; dough should be quite hard. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours to rest.
• For ricotta filling, blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste, and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle. Chill.
• For sauce, bring 250ml water to the boil in a small saucepan, add kombu, then remove from heat and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve, and, while still hot, transfer to a small food processor with butter and colatura di alici and blend until fine.
• To make agnolotti, cut dough in half, keeping remaining half wrapped. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 1cm thick. Roll dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine, fold the two short ends over each other into the centre to enclose (business-letter style). Roll out to 1cm thick, then roll through pasta machine on the widest setting. Repeat folding and rolling another 3 times until dough becomes very smooth, then continue rolling dough through the machine, reducing settings notch by notch, until 1mm thick, dusting with flour if needed. Cut into 25cm x 10cm rectangles, then on a lightly floured surface, pipe a straight line of filling the length of the rectangle, about 2cm from the long edge closest to you and leaving 2cm at each end. Run a wet finger along the edge closest to you and ends next to filling, then fold pasta and filling two-thirds of the way over to create a snug tube with an exposed flap of pasta along the long edge. Press to seal. With the side of your hand, press down firmly on filling at 5cm intervals to make 5 agnolotti. Fold the flap of pasta over the filled pasta, then cut between agnolotti with a fluted cutter. Repeat with remaining pasta.
• Cook agnolotti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until they float and are cooked through (2-3 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and coat with anchovy sauce, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat. Spoon onto plate and serve drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Espellete pepper to taste.