Chef Eric Lee, Pizzeria Gusto
Earthy beets, verdant peas and sunny citrus notes burst with summery flavour and colour in this light pasta dish.
Ingredients Pasta 5 cups Semolina flour 1 1/4 cups water
Filling 1 cup beets, pureed 1 cup soft goat cheese, room temp salt and pepper to taste cornmeal to finish
Sauce 1/2 cup butter 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen salt and pepper, to taste zest of one lemon shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish micro arugula for garnish
Method Pasta 1. In a large bowl, combine both ingredients. 2. Knead for 10 mins, until dough becomes smooth and has little bounce back when finger is poked into dough. Let rest for 1 hour at room temp. Filling 1. In a stand mixer, combine all ingredients until smooth. 2. Put filling in a large pastry bag fitted with a wide tip (at least 1/2″ across). Set aside.
Assembly Agnolotti 1. Run pasta through a pasta maker on one of the thicker settings several times. Increase the setting, making the pasta thinner, and run it through the machine again. Repeat several times. 2. As the sheet of pasta comes off the pasta maker, lay it on a floured board and cut it into rectangular sheets about 12″ long. 3. Sprinkle flour lightly on each cut sheet, continue stacking cut sheets on top of each other. 3. Pull one sheet of pasta off the top of the stack. Pipe a straight line of filling lengthwise on the pasta sheet, leaving enough pasta at the top to fold over the filling. 4. Fold the pasta top over the filling. Press firmly to seal. Moisten the tip of your finger and run it along the seam if it doesn’t stick together. 5. Using a wheeled pasta cutter or a sharp knife, cut the filled tube of pasta away from the rest of the sheet, making sure to keep the sealed strip intact. 6. Use the tips of your fingers to pinch the tube of pasta into equal-sized sections, creating a seal between pockets of filling. 7. Use a wheeled pasta cutter or a sharp knife to separate the sections. Quickly cut through each, leaning the tube of pasta in the direction you’re cutting. 8. You should be left with small, individual pockets of filled pasta. Place finished agnolotti in a tray of coarse cornmeal. 9. Repeat until all of pasta sheets and filling have been used. 10. To cook fresh or frozen agnolotti, cook in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2 mins or until tender.
Sauce 1. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter. 2. When butter is melted and starting to bubble, add tarragon, and green peas. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Either cook à la minute, or reheat the agnolotti in boiling water, add it to the pan of peas. Taste the butter sauce for seasoning. 4. Plate the pasta and peas. Sprinkle lemon zest on pasta. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese and garnish with micro arugula. Serve.
Yield 7 servings