Recipe: Agnolotti al Tartufo (Agnolotti with Truffles)

Agnolotti al Tartufo (Agnolotti with Truffles)

FOR DOUGH:
Flour: 400 g. (14 oz.)
Eggs: 2
DRESSING:
Sirloin (lean pork): 150g. (5 oz.)
Veal: 150g. (5 oz.)
Ham (one slice): 100 g. (3.52 oz.)
Parmesan cheese: 100 g. (3.52 oz.)
Butter: 100 g. (3.52 oz.)
Eggs: 1
White truffle: 1 (about 20 g. - 0.7 oz.)
1/2 glass of dry white wine
Salt and pepper

Melt 0.7 oz. of butter in a saucepan. brown the sirloin and the veal on all sides, add salt and pepper as you like and shed the white wine; stir with a wooden spoon. Raise the fire and let wine evaporate.

Go on until the meat is well done; if necessary, add some warm water (or some bouillon).

Take away the meat and mince it together with the ham; pour out it in a tureen, add the egg, half of the truffle sliced and half of the parmesan cheese; amalgamate with a wooden spoon or with a mixer.

Prepare the dough: put the flour on the rolling-board forming a cone; hollow out the top and put in the eggs; knead adding water to obtain an average firmness dough.
Go on on kneading the dough until it would be smooth and without lumps.

Stretch it in a sheet as thin as possible; distribute the stuffing over an half of the sheet making little heaps, big as cherries, from 1 and 11/2 inch far each other; bend the other half of the sheet covering the heaps and, using the small serrated wheel, make little square of dough having in their middle the stuffing; put them on the well floured rolling-board, far each other so that they don't stick; let them get dry, but not too much.

About half an hour before going to table, put on the stove a pot with one gallon of salt water and boil the agnolotti; drain them when they are al dente (when they come to the surface) and put them on a warmed up dish; flavour with the melted butter and the remaining Parmesan.

Slice the remaining truffle over the agnolotti and serve. If you want to follow the dictates of Piedmont cooking, you could use a large quantity of butter.