Agnolotti monferrini

Prepare the egg pasta dough: arrange the flour in a mound on your work surface, break the eggs in the center and slowly mix with your fingers until you obtain a homogeneous dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes until you reach a smooth and elastic consistency. Wrap in plastic film and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the braised beef for the filling: cut onion, carrot, and celery into small pieces. In a heavy pot, heat the oil and brown the meat on all sides until golden. Pour in the Barbera wine and let it evaporate for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped vegetables and enough broth to cover the meat. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat for about 2 hours, until the meat shreds easily. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

When cooking is complete, remove the meat from the broth and let it cool. Remove any bones and cartilage, then finely mince the braised meat with a knife or pulse it lightly to obtain a compact filling.

Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin until about 1-2 millimeters thick. Position small mounds of filling (about one tablespoon) at regular intervals on the pasta.

Fold the pasta in half covering the filling, press lightly around the mounds to seal, then cut out the agnolotti with a fluted wheel or cookie cutter, forming the classic small squares with wavy edges.

Bring the meat broth to a boil in a large pot. Gently drop in the agnolotti and cook until they rise to the surface and float for another minute.

Transfer the agnolotti to bowls of hot broth, finish with a generous grating of Parmigiano Reggiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.