Recipes – Honeynut Squash Agnolotti

Recipe courtesy of The Charles (Wethersfield)

For the Filling:

Ingredients:

3-4 honeynut squash, peeled and large diced

2 large sweet potatoes

1 pint ricotta cheese

1 cup grated parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 small piece grated ginger, about ½ tsp

½ tsp ground allspice

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. On separate pans, dry roast the sweet potatoes, and on an oiled pan, the honeynut squash until tender. Remove and let cool completely.

Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes and place into a food processor along with the squash and ricotta. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. The filling should be fairly thick but still spreadable. If too thick, one egg can be added to loosen the filling. If too thin, breadcrumbs or ground amaretti cookies can be used to tighten the mixture.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and move contents into a piping bag. Set aside in the refrigerator.

For the Dough: 

Ingredients:

13-14 oz all-purpose flour, or, 00 pasta flour if available

2 oz Semolina

5 whole eggs

5 egg yolks

1 tsp salt

Dough Directions:

In a mixer, using the dough hook attachment, place only four of the whole eggs first, then remaining ingredients and run on medium to medium-high speed for about 8-10 minutes or until the dough forms an almost complete ball of dough.

Remove dough from mixer and work by hand until the dough truly comes together. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Preparing the Agnolotti:

Using manageable size pieces of the dough, run through a pasta machine or hand roll if desired. If using a machine, start with the largest setting and work down each of the settings until you can begin to see your hand through the dough itself, typically a 1 or 2 setting on most machines.

Using about a 3-4-inch-wide piece of the sheeted dough, pipe the filling along the length of the sheet to create a long cylinder of the filling about the size of a dime, about one-third of the way in from one of the edges.

Roll the short side of the dough over the filling gently and tuck in ever so slightly under the filling as best you can. Make an egg wash by mixing together the last whole egg and a tablespoon of water, then apply the egg wash just to the side of the tucked in dough. Roll the filling side once more onto the dough with the egg wash on it.

Next, using a wooden spoon handle or something similar, mark and press the filled pasta to desired width, pressing firmly but not cutting. This will allow the filling to be mostly out of the way of the cut you will be making. Using a straight or fluted pasta cutter, remove excess dough from the flat edge of the agnolotti, then cut at each point where the wooden spoon had marked. Lay onto a lightly floured parchment covered pan, tossing them slightly to coat them well. They can now be cooked, refrigerated or frozen at this state.

Cook the pasta for about 3-4 minutes if cooking immediately, or until the dough is cooked but still has the bite of texture you are looking for.

Serve the agnolotti with a favorite broth, sauce, and/or other accompaniments—such as goat cheese, brown butter or additional vegetables.