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AGNOLOTTI
DEL PLIN
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 The
definitive Sunday lunch for entire
generations. There are schools dedicated
to agnolotti, or ravioli, as the
people of Asti prefer to call them.
And there isn’t a single restaurant
or agriturismo in the entire province
where they are not a constant feature
on the menu. Leaving them out would
mean disappointing too many customers.
The small “del plin”
version (referring to the way they
are pinched shut) traditionally
belongs to the southern part of
the province, while the “monferrini”
version are the larger, square or
rectangular shapes traditionally
made in the Monferrato area. But
these distinctions are little more
than theoretical these days and
“agnolotti del plin”
are now the main speciality: gastronomy
is not without its fashions after
all. |
| Ingredients: |
½
kilo veal roast
½ kilo
pork roast
200 g grated parmigiano or Grana cheese
1 glass red wine
2 eggs
2 ladlefuls vegetable stock
1 onion
olive oil
rosemary
nutmeg
salt and pepper
a handful of spinach |
| To
make the filling |
Affettare
finemente la cipolla e farla imbiondire
nell'olio con un rametto di rosmarino:
mettere poi i due pezzi di arrosto
a rosolare a fuoco vivo. Regolare
di sale. Bagnare la carne con il
vino rosso, poi alzare la fiamma
per farla asciugare un po', quindi
aggiungere due mestoli di acqua
o brodo vegetale. Coprire e continuare
la cottura per circa due ore con
un fuoco dolce, facendo attenzione
che il fondo di cottura non asciughi
troppo. Intanto, a parte, sbollentare
gli spinaci per qualche minuto (meglio
non usare molta acqua, cuoceranno
meglio e avranno più sapore
se si avrà l'avvertenza di
metterli in pentola tirandoli sù
con le mani dopo il lavaggio: la
poca acqua che rimane sulle foglioline
sarà sufficiente). Quando
la carne è tenerissima, passarla
nel tritacarne e metterla in una
terrina. Aggiungere gli spinaci
tritati, il parmigiano grattugiato,
il sale, un po' di pepe e le sei
uova intere. Amalgamare bene il
composto che è ornai pronto
per diventare il ripieno degli agnolotti.
|
| Ingredients
for the pasta: |
500
g flour
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
a pinch of salt and a cup of warm
water. |
|
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Heap
the flour into a mound on a wooden
chopping board and create a well in
the middle. Add a pinch of salt and
break in the eggs (the three yolks
and the whole egg). Knead the dough
with your hands energetically and
at length. If it is too stiff, add
a few drops of warm water. Roll out
into a very thin sheet and cut the
sheet into wide strips. Line up little
heaps of filling on a strip of the
pasta, spacing them out at intervals
of 3-5 centimetres, using a fork and
spoon (the filling is on the spoon,
and you use the fork to scrape off
a small amount onto the pasta), making
sure the dollops of filling are the
same size. Then place another strip
of pasta on top of the mounds of filling
and press down well in the gaps where
there is no filling to seal the agnolotti.
Use a pastry wheel to cut along the
strip of agnolotti, then before separating
them, pinch the pasta between the
agnolotti. This pinch is the ‘plin’.
Boil for a few minutes in abundant
salted water, then drain gently and
spoon onto a large serving dish, which
should already contain part of the
cooking juices from the meat used
to make the filling. Add a knob of
butter, pour over the rest of the
meat gravy and scatter a generous
handful of grated cheese on top. When
in season, a light dusting of white
truffle shavings will give a final
touch of taste and sophistication.
Recommended wine: Barbera d'Asti,
Freisa or Grignolino d'Asti. |
| Wine
recommended: |
 Barbera
d'Asti, Freisa,
Grignolino
d'Asti.
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