Cauliflower Agnolotti with Prosecco DOC

To prepare the cauliflower filling, cut it into florets, reserve some to roast and use as garnish and boil the rest in salted water. Meanwhile chop and brown the onion in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter and after 10 minutes when slightly caramelised add 2 tablespoons of flour as if you were creating a roux (the thickening agent for the bechamel sauce). Cook and mix the flour for 2 minutes with the onion (and its fats) then toss in the cooked cauliflower. Add the cream, cover with a lid and cook until soft. If it looks too soupy keep cooking without the lid until most of the water is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and blend while still warm with the grated cheese until smooth. Pass it through a sieve if necessary and let it cool a few hours in the fridge.

For the pasta, beat the eggs with a fork and incorporate the flour gradually. When the ingredients start to bind together knead by hand with energy. Remember, during this step it is important to stretch and pull your dough while kneading to allow the flour’s gluten to start working and therefore obtain and elastic dough. After a few minutes of working it will slowly come together and result in a smooth and homogeneous dough. As not all eggs are the same, if your dough feels too sticky to your hands, feel free to add a spoon of flour, if too dry and not binding, you can add a touch of egg white leftover or even a splash of water.

When ready, wrap your dough in film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes, this will allow the dough to ‘relax’ to prevent it being too elastic when shaping your pasta.

Proceed to roll the dough into thin pasta sheets. If you have a wooden board great, if you don’t a clean, flat surface will work.

Slice the pasta into thick sheets and flatten them with a rolling pin. With the help of a pasta machine, roll the pasta out. (This can also be done by hand using a rolling pin and elbow grease as well).

It is good practice to fold your rolled pasta on itself and start over a couple of times, this process with give you a smooth rectangular sheet that will be easier to work with at a later stage.

Pass the pasta gradually from the largest setting to the narrower settings and remember to dust with extra flour but only if it feels too wet and humid on your hands.

To shape the agnolotti you need quite a thin pasta sheet, I would say pass it twice to the second to last setting of the machine (about 1.5 mm).

As showed in the video, with the help of a pastry bag place a long log of the filling onto the pasta sheet then roll it on itself making sure to get all the air out to avoid ‘pockets’. Now seal the edges with your hands and press your fingers across the filling to create about 2 cm large dollop of filling. Now use a pastry wheel to trim the excess pasta and to cut between those dollops and there you have your agnolotti. This process is much easier to understand if watched on video, I assure you.

To create the quick dressing fry the garlic and rosemary in a spoonful of olive oil until golden then remove them but retain the crispy rosemary to use as garnish later.

Now in the same pan brown on both side the nice, retained florets of cauliflower, season to taste and add a knob of butter to fully caramelise them. Remove them from the pan and deglaze it immediately with a splash of Prosecco DOC and let it reduce on the stove for 1 minute.

At this stage drop the agnolotti in salted boiling water, cook them for no more than 1 minute and toss them gently into the pan with the dressing. Mix around without breaking the pasta and add a splash of pasta water to create a creamy emulsion.

Plate the agnolotti straight away along with the sauce, garnish with the caramelised cauliflower florets and the toasted hazelnuts and sprinkle with the crispy rosemary.

Remember to enjoy it with a cold glass of Prosecco DOC, preferably Brut style.

Recipe by Danilo Cortellini