This recipe by Danilo Cortellini is a mixture of regional Italian cultures joining together to create a delicious pasta dish. Pair with a Prosecco DOC Bicycle cocktail for the ultimate summer feast!

NEED TO KNOW

Cooking Time: 80 MINUTES
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

INGREDIENTS
  • 100g Grana Padano PDO cheese rind
  • 50g grated Grana Padano PDO cheese
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 100ml vegetable stock
  • 20ml Prosecco DOC
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and black pepper to taste

For the filling:

  • 200ml milk
  • 24g butter
  • 24g plain flour
  • 100g finely grated Grana Padano PDO cheese Riserva
  • black pepper to taste

For the pasta:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 600g plain flour
METHOD

Traditionally from Piedmont, the Agnolotti are tiny pasta parcels filled with roast meat. The “cacio e pepe” refers to a very famous and much-loved Roman recipe of dressing a bowl of spaghetti with grated cheese and cracked black pepper. So Danilo thought, why not put a Grana Padano PDO cheese ‘Cacio e Pepe’ filling into a tiny pasta parcel instead of using it only as a sauce? Well, it’s safe to say it worked well!

Chef’s tip: Never throw away the Grana Padano PDO cheese rind, it is always useful for resourceful cooks! In this recipe Danilo uses the rind to make wonderful, crunchy ‘croutons’ for added texture and flavour. Go the extra mile and use the Grana Padano PDO cheese “Riserva” for a full body, rich plate of Agnolotti.

repare the filling by melting the butter in a casserole dish, then add the flour and cook until brown and caramelized. Add the milk and bring to the boil while whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from the fire. Add the Grana Padano PDO cheese, and season with black pepper. Blitz in a powerful blender and put aside to cool. Once cool, put the filling into a piping bag.

To prepare the pasta knead together eggs and flour and work it until smooth and elastic. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes covered with film.

To prepare the puff crust ‘croutons’, gently grate the outer rind to get rid of the tougher part. Place the rind that is left (whole) it onto a microwave dish lined with baking paper. Now cook it at maximum power for 30 second to 1 minute. Simple as that! Let it cool and cut it into crouton-like shapes.

With the help of a pasta machine roll the pasta gradually to until it becomes 1mm thick. Place teaspoons of the Grana Padano PDO cheese filling along the sheet leaving 4 cm between them. Brush the pasta around the filling with a tiny amount of cold water and fold the pasta sheet in half to cover the filling. Now gently press the pasta along the edge of the filling removing the excess air inside the parcels. With a pastry wheel create your small pasta parcels cutting alongside each piece from top to bottom. The jagged shape on the pastry wheel will seal each parcel and will also help to create their signature curly shape!

Melt a knob of butter in a large pan and once caramelised pour in the Prosecco DOC. Let the alcohol evaporate and add the stock. Season with salt and pepper and let it reduce. Cook the Agnolotti for 1 minute in salted boiling water then drain and add into the pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve straight away.

Plate onto a large plate, add finely grated Grana Padano PDO cheese on top and garnish with the puff crust ‘croutons’. Add some extra black pepper to taste.
Serve straight away.