Ricotta and pecorino filled agnolotti pasta with sundried tomato fondue and arugula pine nut pesto.
This tender agnolotti pasta has bright, fresh flavors from the sundried tomatoes and peppery arugula and richness from the double cheese filling.
This dish is quite involved with four separate recipes. All of the recipes are simple, with the biggest challenge being rolling and shaping the pasta. Everything can be made a couple of days in advance, except for the pesto. The pesto will still have good flavor but will start discoloring the day after it is made. This pesto is made by grinding pine nuts, then arugula and herbs, and finally stirring in lemon and olive oil. The blades from the food processor can bruise olive oil, making it bitter. Stirring in the oil after all of the ingredients have been chopped keeps its flavor.
Check out the video above for instructions on rolling and shaping the pasta.
The dough for this pasta is on the wet side. I like to use wet dough for filled pasta for a few reasons. One, the dough will not dry out while you are working with it. Rolling and shaping pasta takes time, and the longer it is exposed to the air, the dryer it gets. Two, the dough will form around the filling easier and with fewer air pockets. Three, the pasta seals easily, keeping all of the filling in the pasta and not in the cooking water. The downside to wet dough is that it sticks to itself, the counter, and the roller. I use a 50/50 mix of flour and semolina to keep sticking to a minimum.
The main sauce for this pasta is made from sundried tomatoes. Sundried tomatoes have a bright, sweet flavor, delicious for a sauce, but they also have tough-chewy skin. To soften the skin, I rehydrate the tomatoes for about 15 minutes before making the sauce.
Ricotta Agnolotti
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 1/4 cup flour extra for rolling
- 3/4 cup semolina extra for rolling
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 egg for wash
Filling
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 cups pecorino shredded plus more for garnish
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
Pesto
- 1/4 cup pine nuts plus more for garnish
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 tbsp oregano leaves fresh
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Tomato Fondue
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 onion minced 1/2 cup
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs oregano
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp honey
Instructions
Pasta
- Mix flour, semolina, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together the egg, olive oil, and water. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until until a ball forms. Knead the dough until smooth. Wrap with plastic and rest for 30 minutes.
- Mix the egg for the wash. Dust the counter and a sheet pan with flour. Lay out one sheet of pasta at a time. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling on the pasta 1 1/2 inches apart. Brush one side with egg wash. Fold the opposite side over the filling. Press down between the filling to crimp the sides. Turn the folded end on its side. Crimp the pasta again. Cut the pasta on the crimps to separate and place on the sheet pan. Continue until all the pasta has been made. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Makes about 50 agnolotti.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes. Drain and gently stir into the tomato fondue. Serve with arugula pesto, shaved pecorino, and toasted pine nuts.
Filling
- Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pesto
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the pine nuts for 7-8 minutes. Cool and place in a food processor. Grind until finely chopped. Add the arugula, salt, pepper, and oregano. Pulse until finely chopped. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside until ready to use.
Tomato Fondue
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the sundried tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool. Finely chop the cooled tomatoes.
- Heat a pot over medium high heat with olive oil. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic, thyme, and oregano cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and wine. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the wine has cooked down. Add the water, honey, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has reduce to 1/4. Keep warm until ready to serve.
