
Agnolotti (; pms, agnolòt ) is a type of
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are ...
typical of the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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region of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, made with small pieces of flattened
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are ...
dough, folded over a filling of roasted meat
or vegetables. ''Agnolotti'' is the plural form of the Italian word ''agnolotto''. According to a legend, the origin of the name may come from a cook called Angiolino, or "Angelot", an individual from
Montferrat
Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. M ...
who is said to be the inventor of the recipe.
Agnolotti can be ''di magro'' or ''di grasso'' depending on their filling of vegetables or meat.
Overview
Although their primitive shape was semi-circular, traditionally agnolotti are of a square shape with sides of about one or two inches. However, they can also be of a smaller, rectangular shape when they are called agnolotti ''al plin''. ''Plin'' means "a pinch", because one pinches with thumb and forefinger between each mound of filling to close and seal the little pasta packets. ''Agnolotti'' ''al plin'' are almost always stuffed with meat.
One of the traditional ways to serve ''agnolotti del plin'' is to dump them onto a napkin after draining the pasta water and serve them dry with no condiment; this is reminiscent of the habit of farmers to bring food wrapped in napkins to consume during the workday.
Agnolotti are prepared by immersion in boiling water. Typically, they are dressed with beef broth and a little melted butter or in a fresh sage and melted butter sauce, as a complex sauce would detract from the flavours in the agnolotti pockets. In both cases they may be topped with
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but no cheese is contained within agnolotti. The dish is associated with
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and is not to be confused with
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
's stuffed pasta pockets called ''anolini''.
In the
Monferrato
Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Mon ...
region of Italy, located within Piedmont, a special version of agnolotti is filled with
donkey meat.
Robiola cheese is another popular ingredient in Piedmont.
See also
*
*
List of dumplings
*
Italian Cuisine
Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with w ...
*
Piedmontese Cuisine
References
External links
*
{{Pasta
Cuisine of Piedmont
Dumplings
Types of pasta
Stuffed dishes
Meat dishes