Pasta dough with butter for meat filled agnolotti

How to make pasta dough with butter: Piemonte is in the north western part of Italy. The agnolotti is a classic first course of the Piedmontese tradition. These little ravioli-like pasta, can be ‘lean’ or ‘fat’ depending on their filling of vegetables or meat.

Agnolotti are small pieces of rolled out pasta dough that are folded over a filling of roasted meat or vegetables. There is a difference between ‘agnolotti’ and ‘agnolotti del plin’. The word ‘plin’ is dialect in the Piedmont region, meaning ‘to pinch‘ and these little ravioli are folded in a specific way.

Agnolotti is the plural form of the Italian word agnolotto. According to legend, the origin of the name comes from a cook called Angiolino, or “Angelot”, an individual from Montferrat who is said to be the inventor of the recipe.

The type of dough prepared for the agnolotti depends on the filling. If you choose a ‘fat’ filling which is meaty, then the dough is made using flour, egg, water and butter also known as pasta di grasso. This combination creates a very soft and tasty dough.

Pasta dough with butter for meat filled agnolotti or agnolotti del plin

Makes 160 – 200 pieces

800 grams Tipo 00 or Swans Down cake flour
180 grams natural spring water
20 grams salted butter, at room temperature
4 medium to large eggs

In a mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and begin to mix with a fork.
When the dough begins to form and it is difficult to continue with a fork, work with your hands.
Gently bring the dough together. Once the dough is almost formed, turn it all out onto a clean work surface and continue to gently knead for up to 10 minutes.

If your dough is too dry after 5 minutes of kneading

Spray water over the dough or your hands. Continue kneading, adding water as required, until the right consistency is achieved.

If your dough is too wet after 5 minutes of kneading

Continue kneading and add more flour until the right consistency is achieved

When the dough is formed, make into a ball and dust with flour. Tuck it into a Ziploc bag or cover in seran-wrap.
Allow it to rest for up to 30 minutes before forming pasta sheets for agnolotti.

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