L'Italo-Americano

LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano Apparently, the first agnolot- ti were cooked, drained, pla- ced in a cloth to keep them soft and then consumed on their own, so that the flavors o f t h e i r f i l l i n g c o u l d b e enjoyed to the full; this dish was called agnolotti al tova- g l i o l o ( t o v a g l i o l o m e a n s "napkin"). Every now and then, they were served with a cup of meat broth, or with red wine, the latter being still a relatively popular way of having them in the Cuneo and Alessandria provinces, where the concoction is cal- led agnolotti or ravioli al fumo (with "smoke"). Their shape is squared, although in Piemonte the version al plin is particu- larly famous: "plin" means "pinch" in Piedmontese and they get the name from the way they are expertly closed, with a quick pinch motion between two fingers. Agnolotti: where does the name come from? But what's the origin of t h e n a m e a g n o l o t t o a n d why do the Piedmontese call r a v i o l i t h i s w a y ? W e l l , A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Dizionario Etimologico del Dialetto Piemontese compiled by Attilio Levi in 1927, the term is the diminu- t i v e o f a g n è l ( l a m b i n Piedmontese dialect), with the "e" turning into an "o" for the assimilation of the non-accented vowel with the a c c e n t e d v o w e l . I n 2 0 0 1 , Sergio Nebbia, author of t h e D i z i o n a r i o Monferrino (a variety of the Piedmontese dialect), the n a m e " c o u l d c o m e f r o m anulus (Latin for ring), more precisely from the aneolus variant, to indicate the ring- like shape agnolotti used to have, instead of the common s q u a r e s h a p e o f t o d a y . " Another theory wants the name to originate from the anùlot, and old instrument u s e d t o c u t t h e m i n t h e shape of a ring. In a fashion that doesn't surprise us one bit, it is also said agnolotti got their name f r o m t h e c h e f w h o m a d e them popular: some believe i t w a s c h e f A n g i o l i n o , known as Angelòt, others chef Vincenzo Agnoletti, who traveled across Europe cooking for royals and VIPs and who, in 1814, published a b o o k , L a N u o v i s s i m a C u c i n a E c o n o m i c a , where a recipe for agnolotti alla Piemontese (there called "agnellotti") appeared. D o w n t o w o r k : t h e recipe for agnolotti al p l i n ( t a k e n f r o m L a Cucina Italiana) Ingredients for 4 peo- ple: For the filling: 1 lbs (400 gr) of "noce di manzo" (beef tri-tip) 1/2 cup of white onion 2 tbsp of All Purpose flour 200 ml of red wine 2 1/2 oz of veal brain (we c o m m o n l y e a t i t i n Piemonte, but feel free to leave it out in case you're not a fan). 1/2 cup of grated parmi- giano 20 ml of extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper For the pasta fresca (dough) 1 1/4 cup of All Purpose flour (farina 00) 3 1/2 oz of egg yolks For the sauce* 4 1/2 oz of butter 6 leaves of sage grated parmigiano *La Cucina Italiana sug- gested a sauce made with fresh butter and beurre noi- sette (butter melted until it reaches a classical hazelnut c o l o r ) , b u t I f i n d , a s a Piedmontese, that the classi- cal burro e salvia is the best way to have agnolotti! Procedure: Mix together the egg yolks and flour until well combi- ned, then knead until you obtain a smooth ball. Place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. W h i l e t h e d o u g h r e s t s , dice the meat and slice the onion julienne style. Roll the meat into some flour, making sure to shake off, using a sieve if you like, any excess. I n a s a u c e p a n , h e a t u p some extra virgin olive oil and sauté the meat. When it's colored on all sides, add the onion and the red wine. Once the wine has evapora- t e d , k e e p o n c o o k i n g t h e m e a t a d d i n g s o m e b r o t h (ideally, you should make your own, but you can use good quality stock cubes or a n y o t h e r g o o d q u a l i t y variety you are accustomed to) little by little whenever you see it gets too dry. Once the meat is ready, add the veal brain (in case you deci- d e d t o g o f o r i t ) , f i n i s h cooking and turn the heat off. The meat should be well cooked, the resulting sauce thick and not watery at all. With a mixer, a kitchen r o b o t o r a m e a t g r i n d e r , m i n c e t h e c o o k e d m e a t , adding the grated parmesan a n d s a l t a n d p e p p e r , i f necessary. Set aside. Time to get the dough out of the fridge! Roll the dough very thin ( i t s h o u l d b e n o t t h i c k e r than 1/2 mm!), then divide it in 5 cm (2 in) wide strips. Place small dollops of filling, about the size of an hazelnut, in the center of the strip, lea- ving about 1.5 cm (0.6 in) between each of them. Now, fold the dough on itself to cover the filling, sea- ling accurately the two sides o f t h e s t r i p b y p r e s s i n g down with your fingers. N o w i t ' s t i m e f o r t h e "plin"! With your fingers, pinch together tightly the dough between the filling. It's simple, just press very t i g h t t h e p a r t o f d o u g h between each dollop of fil- ling and its next-door neigh- bor! W i t h a r a v i o l i c u t t e r (those hand-held, "wavy" wheels), first cut the dough length-wise a few millime- ters from the filling, then between each dollop to make your ravioli, which should be a r o u n d 2 c m ( 0 . 8 i n ) i n length, giving them a rectan- gular shape. Cover a tray with a clean kitchen towel and place your ravioli on top, making sure t h e y d o n o t t o u c h o n e another. To avoid sticking, add a sprinkle of flour, too. T o c o o k t h e a g n o l o t t i , bring abundant water to the boil and add some salt, the way you would do when you cook pasta. W h i l e y o u w a i t f o r t h e water to boil, you can take care of the butter and sage sauce: in a small pot, melt the butter. When it's mel- ted, add the sage and, on a very low heat, wait for the butter to brown slightly. And that's it! W h e n t h e w a t e r b o i l s , place your agnolotti in it: it won't take long for them to cook, because their pastry shell is so thin. Once they come to the surface, they are ready. You can remove them with a skimmer, little by lit- tle. If you have a lot of agno- lotti to cook, it's better not to d o s o a l l a t o n c e , a s t h e y need space in the water to cook properly. Add one part t o t h e w a t e r , c o o k t h e m , drain them and place them either in the plate with their c o n d i m e n t , o r i n a l a r g e bowl, ensuring to add a bit of b u t t e r a n d s a g e d r e s s i n g every time you drain more. Once they are all cooked, top with the rest of the dressing, gently fold it in and serve. A note about parmigiano: some people add it directly to the dish, while others pre- fer to bring it separately to the table and let guests help themselves. It's up to you and your friends' personal tastes, really! Agnolotti in ragù sauce (Photo: Fabio Alcini/Dreamstime) Continued from page 30

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