Learn how to make and fill fresh pasta at home! With a simple envelope-style fold and a rich cheesy filling, these ricotta agnolotti are a snap to form once you get into the groove of it.
Ingredients
Homemade Pasta Dough
3cupsall purpose flour, plus extra for dusting and shaping
4largeeggs, room temp.
Ricotta Agnolotti Filling
2cupswhole milk ricotta cheese**, room temp.
1cupparmigiano reggiano, finely grated
1/4teaspoonground nutmeg
1/2teaspooncoarse kosher salt
Parmigiano Butter Sauce
1 3/4cupslow sodium vegetable stock
6tablespoonsunsalted butter
1cupfinely grated parmigiano reggiano***, plus extra for serving
cracked black pepper, for serving
Instructions
Homemade Pasta Dough
On a smooth, clean surface create a well with the all purpose flour large enough to contain the eggs.
Crack the room temperature eggs into the flour well and break the yolks with a fork. Using the fork, whisk the eggs. Then gradually begin to incorporate the flour from the well walls into the eggs while continuously whisking with the fork.
Use a bench scraper to scrape up the egg and flour to form a shaggy dough. Pat the dough into a rough ball. Knead the dough by pressing it away from you with the heels of your hands, then rotate the dough back towards you and press away with the heels of your hands again. Set a timer and knead like this for 15 minutes.
Once 15 minutes is up your dough should be silky smooth and spring back when you touch it. Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a damp paper or kitchen towel, making sure the towel does not touch the dough directly. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and filling. Do not skip resting your dough or it will be difficult to roll out. In the meantime, make the ricotta filling while the dough is resting.
Ricotta Filling
Add the whole milk ricotta,** parmigiano reggiano, nutmeg and salt to a bowl and stir to combine.
Transfer the filling into a pastry bag or into a zip top bag with the corner cut off. Secure the open end of the bag by twisting it and clipping it with a chip or binder clip.
Ricotta Agnolotti
Divide the pasta dough into quarters using the bench scraper. Cut each quarter in half again to make 8 balls of dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough in its resting bowl covered with the damp towel.
With your fingers, press the dough ball into a rough rectangle shape. Set the pasta machine to the largest setting (on a standard machine, level 1 is the largest). Feed the rectangle of dough through the machine, long-ways, using a dusting of flour if needed. Run the dough through the largest setting twice before adjusting down and rolling through each smaller setting. Work your way down to the second-to-the-smallest setting (level 6 or 7 on a standard machine), which will yield a long sheet of thin pasta dough.
Working on a lightly floured surface, use a pizza wheel to trim off the oval ends and cut the dough in half down the middle to make 2 shorter rectangles. Work with one rectangle at a time, keeping the other one on a lightly floured surface and covered loosely with a slightly damp paper or kitchen towel.
Use a pastry brush to brush a small amount of water on the edges of the pasta sheet. Pipe a long, thin line of filling down the center of the pasta sheet. Fold the pasta sheet over to cover the filling.
Press firmly with your fingers over the filling to create separate mounds, then press to seal the long end of the pasta. If needed, flour your fingers to prevent sticking to the dough while you press.
Use a ravioli wheel* to trim the long, sealed end of the pasta, creating a scalloped edge.
Fold the long, scalloped edge up and halfway over the filling.
Press again between the filling mounds to seal and use the ravioli wheel to cut between the filling, separating the agnolotti.
Transfer to a lightly floured sheet tray and repeat with the rest of the pasta dough until all of the agnolotti are shaped.
Once all the agnolotti have been formed, will your largest pasta pot with water, bring to a boil, and salt liberally. In the meantime, begin making the parmigiano butter sauce while the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking.
Gently drop the agnolotti into the water and boil for 3 minutes, until al dente. Depending on the size of your pot, you may want to do this in 2 batches. Drain and immediately toss in parmigiano butter sauce. Top with extra parmigiano reggiano and freshly cracked black pepper and serve immediately.
Parmigiano Butter Sauce
In a small saucepan, bring the low sodium vegetable stock to a boil. Boil until the stock has reduced by half. When the stock has reduced, lower the heat to a simmer and whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons at a time.
Gradually whisk in the finely shredded parmigiano reggiano*** in batches. Simmer and whisk continuously until the mixture is emulsified. Immediately pour over pasta and toss to combine. Serve hot and top with extra shredded parmigiano reggiano and a grind of freshly cracked black pepper.
Equipment
1 pasta machine, hand crank or stand mixer attachment
1 bench scraper
1 ravioli/pastry wheel*, optional
1 pizza wheel
1 pastry bag, or zip-top bag
1 pastry brush
1 whisk
Notes
*A ravioli or pastry wheel is like a pizza wheel with a zig-zag edge that crimps and seals as it cuts. You can use a pizza wheel for cutting the agnolotti if you don't have a ravioli wheel on hand. Just make sure you seal the dough well with your fingers before cutting as you won't get the crimping and sealing benefits of the ravioli wheel. **Using whole milk ricotta cheese instead of part-skim ricotta will yield a thicker and less watery filling, but in a pinch part-skim works too. ***Be sure to avoid pre-shredded parmigiano reggiano as it contains anti-caking agents that can prevent your sauce from homogenizing. For best results (and flavor) buy a whole wedge of parmigiano reggiano and finely shred it at home.