2021 JPF grant recipient Beautiful Day’s Founding Director Keith Cooper was working with refugees in 2008 and seeking ways to help them learn English more quickly. He realized that culinary skills might be a way to help refugees integrate more quickly into American society and in 2012, Beautiful Day was incorporated as a nonprofit organization that provides paid, transitional job training to refugees resettled in RI.
When forming the agnolotti it is important to apply enough pressure to flatten the double layers of dough to be the same thickness as the single layer to ensure even cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn, shucked and cut from the cob, husks, silk, and cobs reserved
- 1 bay leaf
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ras el hanout (optional)
- 2 teaspoons moscatel or sherry vinegar
- ⅓ cup (55 grams) cornmeal, plus additional for the work surface
- ⅓ cup (55 grams) Alpine cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½ cup vermouth or dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pickled or sautéed chanterelles or other seasonal vegetable, for garnish
- Celery leaf or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Pasta Dough
- 1 ⅓ cups (200 grams) 00 flour or bread flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
Method
- To make the corn stock. Put the cobs in a medium saucepan with the bay leaf and cover with water by 1-inch. Put the reserved husks and silk on top, like a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Then stain and reserve.
- To make the pasta dough. Put the flour in a medium bowl, making a well in the center. Add the egg and egg yolks to the well. Working from the center with a fork or other small utensil, slowly begin to bring the eggs into the flour, continuing to mix until the mixture comes together as a shaggy dough. You may not use all of the flour. Remove from the bowl, folding it onto itself to continue to incorporate the flour and the eggs. Knead until smoother, adding additional flour only as needed to keep from sticking. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for about 5 minutes. Knead again until smooth. Form into a disc, cover with the damp towel, and let rest for 30 minutes while preparing the filling.
- To make the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Sauté half of the shallot with a pinch of salt to begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn with another pinch of salt and the ras el hanout. Continue to sauté until the corn is tender and the shallot has softened, about 7 minutes. Drizzle in the vinegar, scraping the bottom of any browned bits to deglaze the pan. Transfer to a blender.
- In a small bowl combine the cornmeal with ¼ cup of the corn stock, stirring until smooth and adding additional stock as needed until the consistency of porridge. Pour into the blender with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the cheese. Puree the mixture until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag or a plastic storage bag. Set aside until cool.
- To roll out the pasta. Set the rollers of a pasta machine to the widest setting. Lightly flour the rollers and the dough. Uncover the disc and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Roll the dough through the machine. Lower the setting one notch and roll the dough through. Continue rolling and lowering the setting, adding flour as needed to keep from sticking, until the pasta is about the thickness of a credit card.
- To fill and shape the agnolotti. Trim the edges of the pasta dough so the piece is about 24-inches long. Dust the work surface with a little cornmeal. Starting about 2-inches in from the left side, pipe a strip of the pan-roasted corn filling down the center of the dough, leaving 2-inches on the right side as well. Spray or brush the dough lightly with water. Working from the bottom, fold the dough up and over the filling so that the edges meet. Starting at the middle and working out towards the edges, gently press on the pasta where the strip of filling is to remove any pockets of air. Next, press on the edge along the strip to encase the filling. Lastly, using your fingers, pinch along the strip of filling about every 2 inches.
- Trim the ends with a fluted pasta cutter. Roll the filled portion over gently so that the top rests on the pasta. Leaving a ½-inch lip above the filling, make one long cut using the pasta cutter. To cut into the individual agnolotti, roll through the pinched portions of the dough.
- To make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Sauté the remaining half of the shallot with a pinch of salt until translucent, 2 minutes. Drizzle in the vermouth and cook for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol and reduce the liquid slightly. Add the butter and swirl the pan as the butter melts to emulsify the sauce.
- To cook the pasta. In a large saucepan heat the remaining corn stock and salted water and bring to a boil. add the agnolotti to the water and cook until they float to the top and are tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the agnolotti to the pan with the sauce, adding a couple teaspoons of the pasta water. Swirl to coati n the sauce.
- To serve. Spoon the agnolotti and sauce onto warm plates and garnish with the chanterelles and celery leaves, sprinkle with salt, and serve.
When corn is at peak season, I like to make this sautéed corn and cheese-filled agnolotti the size of small dumplings. Agnolotti have perfect pockets for holding a sauce like my simple, but elegant vermouth beurre blanc. Finish with pickled or sautéed chanterelles or a local vegetable of your choice.