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A variety of Italian pasta ripiena (lit. filled pasta), agnolotti are tender, bite-sized pillows of dough, plump with a creamy cheese, meat, or vegetable filling. Agnolotti originated in the Piedmont region circa 12th century, and they are often regarded as the first of many stuffed pasta types in northern Italian cuisine.
Unlike ravioli, which are made with two separate pasta sheets and stamped out, agnolotti are made with a single sheet of dough that is folded over the filling and typically cut into little rectangles. However, throughout the region, agnolotti come in various shapes.
VARIATIONS OF Agnolotti
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Agnolotti del plin is a traditional dish from Piedmont that is made with small, usually boat-shaped agnolotti pasta. The pasta is traditionally filled with veal, pork or rabbit meat, this was mainly done with leftover roasts, but vegetables such as cabbage or spinach are also occasionally used.
The name of the dish stems from the local dialect in which plin translates as a pinch, referring to the preparation method of sealing each agnolotto with a firm squeeze. Agnolotti del plin can be served doused in melted butter, a combination of butter and fresh sage (burro e salvia), tomato sauce, ragù, or meat drippings sauce (sugo d'arrosto).
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This traditional Italian dish of worldwide fame is typically served as an appetizer, and consists of very thin slices of raw fish or meat served on a plate with olive oil, cheese shavings, and lemon. Carpaccio was created in 1950 by a Venetian restaurateur named Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry’s Bar, who first made the dish for Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, whose doctors had recommended she eat raw meat.
Cipriani based the dish on a specialty from Piedmont consisting of slices of raw beef dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and white truffle shavings. An impassioned art lover, Cipriani named the new dish carpaccio in honor of painter Vittore Carpaccio, whose style and bold colors were reminiscent of the intense red color of raw meat.
VARIATIONS OF Carpaccio
The delicate zucchini or pumpkin flowers are a rather common ingredient in Italian cuisine. They are often incorporated into various dishes such as risottos, flans, or salads, but the preferred option is to stuff them with a different combination of ingredients.
The fillings typically include cheese, usually mozzarella or ricotta, meat, and fish, while the classic Ligurian-style fiori di zucca use the creamy mixture of zucchinis, mashed potatoes, and parmesan cheese. Though they can be enjoyed fresh, they are often baked (forno) or coated in batter and fried (fritti) until crispy.