Guinea Fowl Agnolotti dal...Guinea Fowl Agnolotti dal Plin with Piedmont Hazelnut & Black Truffle Emulsion

Delicate hand-pinched Piedmontese pasta filled with slow-braised guinea fowl and Fontina Val d'Aosta, bathed in a velvety brown butter emulsion, toasted Nocciole del Piemonte, and freshly shaved black winter truffle.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the filling, sear the guinea fowl legs in 50g of butter in a heavy-bottomed pan until deeply golden on all sides. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, add the rosemary sprig, cover tightly, and simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours until ultra-tender.

2. 02

   Shred the guinea fowl meat finely, discarding any cartilage. Transfer the meat to a food processor and pulse briefly to achieve a fine, spreadable texture. In a bowl, mix the warm meat with the grated Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nutmeg. Season with sea salt and white pepper, transfer to a piping bag, and chill.

3. 03

   For the pasta, mound the '00' flour on a wooden work surface and create a wide well. Add the egg yolks and whole egg into the well. Using a fork, gently whisk the eggs, gradually incorporating the flour from the inner walls. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, wrap in cling film, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4. 04

   Roll the pasta dough using a pasta machine to the thinnest setting (about 1mm). Pipe small mounds of the guinea fowl filling (the size of a hazelnut) along the sheet, leaving a 2cm gap between each mound.

5. 05

   Fold the pasta sheet over the filling. Press down gently around each mound to expel any air, then pinch the dough vertically between each mound of filling to seal and create the classic 'plin' (pinch). Cut along the long edge and separate the individual agnolotti using a fluted pastry wheel. Dust with semolina.

6. 06

   In a wide skillet, melt the remaining 100g of butter over medium heat until it foams and turns nutty brown. Add the sage leaves to crisp for 30 seconds, then immediately pour in the chicken stock to emulsify and halt the browning process. Keep warm on low.

7. 07

   Cook the agnolotti in a large pot of gently boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes until they float. Transfer them directly into the brown butter emulsion with a slotted spoon, tossing gently for 1 minute to coat and glaze the pasta.

8. 08

   Divide the agnolotti among warm shallow bowls. Spoon the remaining emulsified butter sauce and sage leaves over them. Garnish with the crushed hazelnuts and shave the fresh black winter truffle generously over the top. Finish with a light scatter of Maldon sea salt.