Method

• Let’s start by making homemade fresh pasta following the practical tips found here.

  In the Piedmontese tradition, doughs are made only with yolk (100 g flour, 3 yolks). However, these doughs are more difficult to work with and roll out, so at least the first few times use the simple recipe

  Let the dough rest wrapped in cling film in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

  

• While the dough rests, prepare the filling by dicing equal parts of celery, carrots, and onion into very small cubes.

  Sauté over very low heat, adding oil and stirring to prevent burning. When the onion begins to sweat and the soffritto is ready, add the roast pieces.

  The important thing for a flavorful filling is the use of roast meats of different types, mixing pork and beef as per the best filling tradition!

  Spinach can be replaced with chard or omitted, rabbit can be replaced with chicken or turkey.

  

• If using fresh meat, cook the meat in a pan, taking care to break down the fibers so it cooks well and absorbs flavor, starting on high heat to melt the sugars present in the meat.

  Cooking time depends on the size of the meat; finely ground meat can cook in 10-15 minutes. Cook over medium-low heat and add water if necessary to prevent it from becoming too dry.

  When the meat is cooked, place it in the food processor and chop until you get a soft yet firm mixture. If necessary, add a drizzle of oil to soften it. The filling must be firm, compact, and soft. A runny filling tends to moisten the dough, ruining it. If the filling is too wet, sauté it in a pan to dry it out.

  The mixture is perfect when you can shape uniform balls without wetting your fingers.

  The traditional recipe requires the meat to be hand-chopped, resulting in a coarser and less homogeneous texture.

  

• Now let’s learn how to make and close agnolotti del plin.

  To close agnolotti del plin, the dough must not be dry, so it’s very important to work only with the portion of dough you need. Dry dough is hard to work with and more difficult to close.

  To speed up the process and prevent the dough from drying out, prepare the filling balls on a sheet of parchment paper beforehand. This way, the process will be faster, and the dough will dry out less.

  

• The plin dough should be about 2-3 inches wide; I recommend rolling the dough with a rolling pin or pasta maker to obtain a very even and regular strip.

  

• The trick to obtaining an even sheet is folding it over itself, rotating it 90 degrees, and working it on the opposite side of the fold to get a sheet about 4-5 inches wide.

  

• Cut the sheet in half with a knife and roll it again with the rolling pin or pasta maker; the sheet should be very thin (the pasta maker uses height 7 out of 10; it should be almost transparent).

  

• The filling must be placed at the center of the pasta strip, and the balls should be 0.5-0.75 inches apart so that you can give the typical pinch to close the pasta.

  

• The pasta should be folded in half to adhere well to the other side, and then starting from one end to the other, pinch the pasta to lift the filling upwards as shown in the picture.

  

• Why are they called agnolotti del plin? Because of the pinch given during the sealing of the pasta. For the pinch, proceed from one end to the other, pressing to expel air.

  It is important to eliminate the air, or the plin will inflate and open during cooking.

  Use a ravioli cutter to remove excess pasta along the length and then cut the sides to create the characteristic shape.

  If needed, press the sides well to make sure the pouch closes and the pasta adheres well.

  

• You can freeze the agnolotti (if the meat filling hasn’t been previously frozen) and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

  Cook them from frozen, a few minutes in hot water (4-5 and they’re ready)

  The shape of agnolotti del plin is designed to better absorb the sauce or broth in which they are cooked.

  How many plin per person? It depends on the dressing, but I recommend about 200-250 g of finished product per person.

  Your agnolotti del plin are ready!