L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANCESCA BEZZONE A g n o l o t t i a r e Piemonte's best c o m f o r t f o o d : w a r m , f i l l i n g , tasty, they are s o q u i n t e s s e n t i a l l y P i e d - montese they are part of the region's official list of tradi- tional products (P.A.T.). Reassuring in their ubi- q u i t o u s p r e s e n c e o n P i e m o n t e ' s f e s t i v e t a b l e , they are today declined in a variety of flavors, but purists know the real agnolotto must follow precise rules when it comes to ingredients and condiments, although it can be a tad more creative when it comes to shape. B u t l e t ' s p r o c e e d w i t h order and shed some light o n t h e f i r s t c o n u n d r u m associated with this rural delicacy that made it into t h e p l a t e o f q u e e n s a n d kings. Agnolotti or ravioli? F o r s u c h a n i n c r e d i b l y popular dish, agnolotti can be quite mysterious, starting from their name: anyone who is not from Piemonte would unlikely know "agno- lotti," but is definitely fami- liar with ravioli or tortel- lini. Well, truth is the diffe- r e n c e i s o n l y s e m a n t i c , because they all stand for t h e s a m e d e l i c i o u s f i l l e d dough pockets we all love and enjoy. Indeed, while the term "agnolotti" is unknown o u t s i d e t h e b o r d e r s o f Piemonte, "ravioli" are com- mon in the region, especially in the southern province of Cuneo and in the areas near to Liguria. There's even a feminine variant, "raviole" in the Asti and Alessandria provinces. T o s u m i t u p : i n P i e m o n t e , w e c a l l r a v i o l i "ravioli," but also "agnolot- ti." In the rest of Italy, ravio- li keep on being "ravioli" (or "tortellini" if you are from E m i l i a R o m a g n a ) , b u t "agnolotti" is an almost unk- nown term. All in all, thou- gh, they all represent the same dough pocket filled with a variety of fillings. Or do they? In Piemonte, agnolot- ti are special Semantically, we could say that, in Piemonte, agno- l o t t i a n d r a v i o l i a r e synonyms, but gastronomi- cal purists — and grandmas all over the region — dare to rightly disagree, because the true, original "agnolotto," the one considered culinary patrimony of Piemonte, has a filling exclusively made w i t h m e a t a n d s h o u l d b e accompanied only by four types of sauce: sugo di carne d'arrosto (roast beaf sauce), burro e salvia (melted but- ter and sage) topped with p a r m i g i a n o o r g r a n a , Piedmontese meat ragù and brodo di carne (meat broth). According to Carlo Nasi, author of the Enchiridio d e l B u o n g u s t a i o i n P i e m o n t e , a g n o l o t t i should never have a vegeta- rian filling, because they are not a dish to have on giorni d i m a g r o , t h e d a y s w h e n c o n s u m i n g m e a t i s n o t allowed for religious rea- s o n s : " r e a l P i e d m o n t e s e agnolotti do not have a so- called versione di magro. T h e y a r e a f e s t i v e d i s h , C h r i s t m a s y , D i o n y s i a n , Faustian," he wrote. According to La Cucina Italiana, agnolotti were con- ceived as a way not to waste roast beef leftovers, a bit like cottage or shepherd's pie in England. And it makes great sense, when you think of it, because — once upon a time — meat used to be expensive and the occasions to have it on the table were limited. Freshly made agnolotti "al plin" (Photo: Coscarella Gianfranco/Dreamstime) Piemonte's gold: agnolotti Continued to page 32

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