Agnolini

Originating from the Mantua region, agnolini is a variety of traditional Italian egg pasta with a meat filling. Referred to as agnulìn or agnulì in the Mantuan dialect, the pasta is typically made with soft wheat flour and durum wheat flour, eggs, and water or milk, while the filling usually consists of beef stracotto, pork salamella, pancetta, and parmigiana, which have been simmered with wine, herbs, and spices.

Square pieces of pasta are topped with the meat filling and then folded into traditional ring-shaped agnolini, which are typically simmered in a rich meat broth. Often compared to the classic tortellino and cappeleto, the agnolino lacks the cap of the former and has a more rounded tip than the latter; but above all, the filling is what makes the greatest difference between these three types of pasta.

Regarding dishes prepared with agnolini, sorbir d’agnoli is a traditional specialty flavored with lots of grated parmesan cheese, laced with Italian red wine (typically Lambrusco wine), and typically served as the first course of a Christmas dinner.