Dec. 2002

Agnolotti del Plin

For 6 servings:

500 grs veal roast , 500 grs pork roast , 200 grs grated parmesan (or grana) cheese,100 ml red wine, 6 eggs, 200 grs rice, 150 ml vegetal broth, 1 onion, olive oil, rosemary, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 100 grs spinaches.
500 grs flour, 3 egg yolks, 1 egg, salt, lukewarm water.

Slice the onion and fry golden in olive oil with some rosemary; roast brown the two meats on brisk fire, adding salt. Wet the meat with red wine, increase fire to dry, then add 200 ml water and the vegetal broth. Cover and keep cooking for abt. 2 hours on mild fire. Parboil the spinaches for few minutes. When the meat will be very tender, mince and put in a tureen; add the minced spinaches, grated cheese, salt, pepper and the 6 eggs and amalgamate the compound.
Pile up the flour, digging a hole into the centre, add salt and the eggs (yolks and whole). Knead the paste for long time and make out of the puff pastry long and thin strips. Add small amounts of stuffing every 3-5 cm on each strip, lay on the stuffings another paste strip, press on the empty spaces to seal the agnolotti. Cut the strips into individual pieces and seal again along the edges.
Boil for few minutes in plenty of salted water, drain and put in a tray already containing some of the sauce used for the stuffings preparation; add some butter, add the remaining sauce and grated cheese.

The suggestions are for young but “bodied” reds like a Carema della Val d’Aosta or a Ghemme or a Fara dei Colli Novaresi.

Pollo alla cacciatora (Chicken hunter’s style)

For 6 servings:

1 Chicken of abt. 1.5 kgs, 1 kg of ripe tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, olive oil, 50 grs butter, rosemary, 2 sage leaves, 150 ml of white wine

Clean the chicken, depilate on a flame and cut into pieces. In a pan put oil, butter, garlic and rosemary; add the chicken pieces and roast brown. Slice the onion and golden fry with the sage leaves in another pan. Add the onion to the chicken pan, stirring; add the wine and increase fire to evaporate. When the whine is almost evaporated, add the peeled and diced tomatoes; add salt, cover and cook on a mild fire for abt. 1 hour

The suggested wines are younger reds like a Chianti or a Rosso Col d’Orcia or the Rossese di Dolceacqua.

Pesche ripiene (Stuffed peaches)

For 6 servings:

6 peaches not too ripe, 100 grs macaroons biscuits, 3 almonds, 2 egg yolks, 50 grs butter, 15 grs bitter cocoa, 50 grs sugar, 1 pinch of cinnamon powder.

Cut the peaches in half, stone and take away with a spoon some pulp. The pulp goes mashed into a tureen, add sugar, macaroons, butter, cocoa and egg yolks. Amalgamate and fill the peaches with the compound. Butter an oven tray, put the stuffed peaches and bake for 30-40 minutes, putting on top some butter and the cinnamon; serve cooled

The bitter fruity taste will be better matched by a sweet sparkling wine like a Vernaccia di Serrapetrona or the Brachetto d’Acqui or a Barbacarlo dell’Oltrepò Pavese.