Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 1 cup Tipo “00” flour
- 5 room temperature egg yolks (91% of the weight of flour)
Pasta Filling
- 1/2 large butternut squash
- 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sauce & Garnishes
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup pasta water
Method
Pasta Dough
- Add the flour to a food processor or a stand mixer with the hook attachment. With the machine running, stream in the egg yolks until a rough dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Wrap in plastic and rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. For a 30-minute rest, leave it at room temperature. If it’s in the fridge, pull it out at least 30 minutes before rolling.
pasta Filling
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out of one half.
- Place the squash skin side down on a sheet pan. Rub the flesh evenly with the olive oil and 1 tsp salt.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until a paring knife slides in with no resistance.
- Cover with foil for 10 minutes to steam. Uncover and cool completely, about 25 minutes.
- Scoop the flesh into a food processor, leaving the skin behind, and blend for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the egg yolk and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag and chill.
Method (Continued)
Forming Pasta
- Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. Keep any pieces you aren’t rolling wrapped in plastic. Run one piece through the pasta machine, going thinner with each setting and adding flour as needed. Stop once it’s long enough that, folded into thirds and turned 90 degrees, it fits the width of the machine.
- Fold the dough into thirds like a tri-fold brochure. Turn it 90 degrees and roll it again, starting at the thickest setting. Roll until very thin, usually the third-thinnest setting.
- Pipe a 1/4-inch line of filling across the full length of the sheet, 1 inch up from the bottom edge. Fold the 1-inch lip of dough over the filling. Press along it with your thumb or finger to seal.
- Working left to right, pinch the filling into 1-inch sections with your thumbs and index fingers. Start each pinch where the last one ended.
- Use a fluted pastry wheel to cut the filled strip away from the sheet. Then cut between the pinches to make individual agnolotti.
- Move the agnolotti to a floured sheet pan. On the rest of the sheet, repeat everything from piping the filling through this step. Then repeat all the steps with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
Finishing Pasta
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily. Put the butter and thyme in a sauté pan over medium heat. Swirl the butter until it’s brown and nutty, then immediately pour the butter and thyme into a heat-safe bowl.
- Working quickly, ladle 2 oz of pasta water into the pan to loosen the milk solids stuck to the bottom. Take the thyme out of the butter, pour the butter back into the pan, and turn off the heat.
- Cook the agnolotti in the boiling water for 1 minute, or until they float. Lift them out with a spider instead of draining in a colander, and add them straight to the pan.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Boil the sauce with the pasta for about 1 minute, until it emulsifies. If the sauce breaks, add a splash of pasta water.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning. Garnish with the Parmesan and hazelnuts and serve immediately.
Butternut Squash Agnolotti
Recipe: Alex Heugel
Alex loves to make pasta – and is very skilled at making a variety of types. He’s sharing his recipe for Butternut Squash Agnolotti, a stuffed pasta from northern Italy filled with roasted butternut squash.