no.9
XL Potato Agnolotti with Butter and Bottarga
Once again I’m writing this issue of Pasta Sunday while in transit, although this time I’m heading back to beautiful Brisbane. While the holiday hiatus has sadly come to an end, I’m super excited to resume this newsletter series, and with a carb on carb pasta, no less! This one is most definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Agnolotti come from the Piedmont region in Italy and traditionally are filled with meat. Whether it’s the meat filling or the shaping technique that determines whether a filled pasta is actually considered agnolotti is to be determined, however I tend to associate the fold and pillow-slip like shape as the deciding factor. My favourite thing about this shape is the amount of filling that can be packed in, creating a super plump and delicious pasta that is usually devoured in record time.
Taking inspiration from the Sardinian culurgiones, mashed potato flavoured with freshly grated Pecorino makes up the filling for these - perfect for creating an extra plump agnolotto as the filling is easy to handle. These are so incredibly moreish, trust me. And of course just to add onto the already existing comfort levels of this dish, we’re serving it in a classic butter emulsion that’s my current go to for all stuffed pastas at the moment. What can I say? I love butter.
Finally to finish, gratings of bottarga are added which lends a unique salty hum, and marries so well with the creamy elements of this dish. Bottarga in short is cured fish roe, where the roe sac from a fish - typically grey mullet - is salted and dried to preserve. It is a fabulous finishing ingredient, and can be stored indefinitely if wrapped tightly and securely - a long term investment, if you will!
Suggested Wine Pairing
I spent some time researching wine pairings with particular attention to a match with bottarga and have come to the conclusion that a Vermentino would be the perfect companion to this dish, complimenting the salty tang instead of competing with it.
Vermentino brings citrus notes, almond and salt to the palette, and is well known for pairing incredibly well with seafood. Cin cin!
Sunday Soundtrack
A weekly playlist of 10 tracks I’ve been listening to on repeat. Hit play and get kneading.