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Beef agnolotti with hazelnut and sage butter

Agnolotti are the Piedmontese answer to ravioli. And we can confirm they're just as delicious.

By Lisa Featherby
  • 45 mins preparation
  • 4 hrs cooking plus cooling, chilling, resting
  • Serves 4 - 6
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The Piedmontese answer to ravioli, agnolotti often take the form of square parcels stuffed with braised meat. This version, pinched into a rectangle shapes, is known as agnolotti al plin.

Ingredients

  • 100 gm butter
  • Handful of sage leaves
  • 40 gm (⅓ cup) roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
  • Wilted cavolo nero,to serve
Braised beef
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500 gm beef brisket, cut into 4cm pieces
  • 200 gm canned tomato polpa
  • 240 ml red wine
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
Pasta dough
  • 250 gm "00" flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Semolina flour, for dusting

Method

  • 1
    For braised beef, preheat oven to 1500C. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole over low heat, add onion and garlic, and stir frequently until very soft and sweet (20-30 minutes). Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a frying pan over high heat, add beef and brown, turning occasionally, until well coloured (5-7 minutes). Transfer to casserole with polpa, wine, vinegar and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Season to taste, then cover and braise in oven, turning meat a couple of times until it pulls apart easily. (2-3 hours). Remove meat from sauce, shred with two forks, then finely chop. Spoon as much oil from sauce as possible, discard bay leaf, then simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced by a third (10-15 minutes). Return meat to sauce and season to taste. Cool, then transfer to refrigerator to chill (2 hours).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, for pasta dough, pulse flour and 1 tsp salt in a food processor to combine. Add eggs, yolk and oil, and process until dough comes together. Add about 1-2 tsp of water if needed to bring together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to a smooth dough, dusting with extra flour if a little sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until needed.
  • 3
    Bring dough to room temperature and divide into 8 pieces, then cover with a tea towel. Working with a piece at a time, flatten, then roll through pasta machine. Fold in half, then roll again until smooth. Continue folding and rolling, reducing settings notch by notch and dusting with flour if necessary, until 1mm-thick. Lay pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthways. Place mounds of beef filling 2 teaspoons in size along the long edge closest to you, about 4cm apart. Lightly brush the other side with water, then fold the long edge closest to you over filling, and press down to seal. With both hands at the same time, pinch dough on either side of filling, sealing the dough and creating pillow shapes. With a crinkle cutter, trim long edge of pasta sheet near the fold, then cut between each pillow of filling to make individual pieces. Transfer to a tray dusted with semolina and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
  • 4
    Cook agnolotti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2-3 minutes). Drain, then transfer to bowls.
  • 5
    Meanwhile, heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming and nut brown (2-4 minutes). Add sage and stir until crisp, then add hazelnuts. Spoon over pasta, then add parmesan and serve topped with cavolo nero.