Chicago Bite Club

Few things say summer like the fresh, vibrant pop on your tongue of the classic basil condiment known the world over as Pesto. 

Maybe you already know that each region in Italy claims some version of herbs & spices ground with olive oil as their own, using the local ingredients abundant in each region to create something unique to their tradition. However the version from Genoa is the one most commonly thought of outside of Italy. This version takes advantage of the Genovese staples of basil, walnuts, parsley, garlic & Grana Padano cheese ground into a creamy vibrant green sauce that can be drizzled over almost anything - even gelato!

As with all of our techniques and tips, feel free to adjust to your tastes & comfort by swapping in or out ingredients that you have on hand or are popping in your own garden plot, one of our favorites variations  replaces the basil with fresh thyme and another variation replaces 1/3 of the olive oil with spicy chili oil - YUM!

Genovese Pesto, makes approx 3 cups

3-4 packed cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 packed cup fresh parsley leaves 

3 large cloves of garlic, peeled

2 w oz toasted walnut pieces (optional)

2 w oz freshly grated hard cheese such as Grana Padano or Parmigiano

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1) Using a mortar & pestle or food processor, grind the garlic, cheese & walnuts into a smooth paste, adding a little olive oil if needed.

2) Add the parsley and basil in batches that fit in your pestle or food processor, processing until smooth. 

3) Add salt & pepper to taste

4) Let sit about 1 hour before using, if possible.

5) Use by drizzling over or tossing with already cooked dishes - do not cook or heat for best results and maximum flavor.

6) Refrigerate any unused sauce in a sealed jar for up to 10 days.

Agnolotti are little pillows of pasta filled with meat (sometimes cheese) and served simply. Ultimately easy to make (despite the long recipe) & delicious to eat - what's not to love?

Assemble all ingredients & kitchen utensils in one area before beginning. Please use this as a framework and adjust to your personal tastes by varying the fillings or sauces. For the meat filling outlined below, feel free to substitute any ingredients you might have left-over in the fridge or even omit things that you might not feel like snagging from the store - it will be delicious no matter what! 

This recipe is long but relatively easy, however there are many steps - I highly suggest you read it through entirely and contemplate the areas that might challenge you personally before attempting. Also, this is one of those truly special dishes that are actually traditionally served with truffles, and even more rare: a dish that pairs well with either white, summer or black truffles.

This month we will cover the meat filling, which can also be used for tortellini (just sub Parmigiano for the Grana cheese and add a little roasted prosciutto & mortadella). Next month we will cover the cheese filling which can also be used as a rich sauce for veggies or sformato.

Meat filling for Agnolloti del Plin, makes approx eighty = 6-8 entree portions

6 w oz well done roasted & cooled (leftover) beef, lamb, chicken, duck, rabbit or any combination thereof

1 w oz butter or 2 fl oz fat drippings from the meat

2 oz mushrooms  

1/2 small onion

1 carrot

1 rib celery

1 packed cup spinach or chard leaves

2 egg yolks

1 w oz Grana Padano or other hard grating cheese

Salt & black pepper to taste

1 grate of fresh nutmeg

optional: black or white truffles or a DROP OR TWO of high quality truffle oil

1) Chop the mushrooms, onion, celery, carrot & spinach very finely OR pulse a few times in a food processor until reduced to a chunky puree.

2) Melt the butter or drippings in a large sauce pan. 

3) Cook the veggies in the butter or drippings over medium heat stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is evaporated, then reduce heat to low.

4) Continue to cook over low heat for another 15-30 minutes stirring occasionally & scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon until a very thick paste is achieved.

5) Let cool slightly while grating the cheese finely.

6) Chop the meat into small dice OR pulse a few times in a food processor, cutting any large chunks that remain by hand. 

7) In a large bowl, or using a stand mixer + paddle, combine the chopped meat, veggie paste, yolks, cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper (& truffles or truffle oil if using) until well combined.

8) Taste & add more salt/pepper if needed.

9) Form into one mass and flatten into a rough rectangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper until approx 1" thick 

10) Cover & refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or a maximum of 3 days - can be made in larger batches and frozen for up to a month well-wrapped in plastic.

11) When cooled & firm, remove the rectangle of filling to a cutting board and cut into 4 equal pieces, then cut each smaller rectangle into 4 equal pieces.

12) Cut each resulting piece into 5 equal pieces, rolling each into a little 'tootsie roll' shape and placing back on the original lined baking sheet.

13) Refrigerate until use.

Pasta, enough to make at least 80 small agnolotti or ravioli, plus a little extra

3 cups AP flour plus more for dusting

3 eggs + 2 eggs, separated

Large pinch salt

1) In a large bowl or stand mixer + dough hook, combine eggs + egg yolks, flour and salt until the mixture comes together.

2) Knead until smooth.

3) Cover & let rest 20 minutes or wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to one week.

4) On a large surface, roll one quarter of the dough as thin as possible using a pasta machine (by hand works also:)) Keep the remainder covered at room temperature.

5) Cut the flattened dough lengthwise into long approximately 1 1/2" strips.

6) Working quickly, place a row of filling pieces lengthwise in the center of each strip of pasta.

7) Using a brush, lightly brush the dough around each filling with the reserved egg whites, and quickly fold the dough over to cover the filling, matching the edges.

8) The filling should be at one side, and a long flat piece of dough at the other.

9) Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut halfway between each filling to separate the pieces.

10) Press to seal the the dough around each filling, squeezing out any air, if possible.

11) Roll the side with the filling over the flat side, press lightly then pinch the ends to seal; should resemble the pic above.

12) Place on a floured towel and cover with another dry towel until all the agnolotti are complete.

13) Repeat steps 4 -12 until the pasta is shaped & ready.

14) Cut any extra dough into bite size pieces and leave to dry for tomorrow's chicken soup! Once dry, store in the fridge in an airtight container until used, up to 1 week.

15) Cook the agnolotti within 90 minutes

To finsih the dish like they do in Piemonte:

4 w oz butter

2 w oz  Grana Padano or similar, freshly grated

3 large leaves sage

salt & pepper to taste

optional: white or black truffles or a little Italian condimento left over from the roasting of the meat

1) Bring a large covered pot of salted water to the boil.

2) In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter until it almost stops bubbling - might begin to smell a little like caramel

3) Immediately remove from the heat.

4) Let stand 2 minutes, then add the sage leaves, salt & pepper; keep warm.

5) Depending on the size of the pot used, drop the agnolotti in batches of 8-15 into the boiling water on high heat and return the cover; make sure they have plenty of room to swim and are not crowded in the pot.

6) The idea is to bring the water back to boiling as quickly as possible.

7) When the pot begins boiling once again, usually in 30-60 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked agnolotti, drain slightly, then add them to the warm butter & sage mixture.

8) Toss to coat the pasta, then keep warm & covered until all batches are cooked.

9) Repeat steps 5-8 until all the pasta is cooked and tossed together in the butter & sage.

10) Serve immediately in warm bowls with a generous amount of cheese, as well as shaved truffles or condimento if using.