Stuffed Pasta with White Wine Butter Sauce & Fresh Herbs
I believe that the simplest of dishes are often the most memorable and the most satisfying. This pasta dish verifies my theory! Stuffed pastas, like ravioli, Fiochetti, and Agnolotti have so many wonderful flavors within them, that it is best to top them with a very basic sauce. Basic sauces like butter based sauces, enhance the flavors of the pasta, rather than overshadow them.
Two of my favorite places to shop in NYC are Eataly (23rd st and 5th ave) and Agata & Valentina (81st and 1st ave). Both of these specialty markets carry the finest and freshest Italian ingredients. You can buy everything from artisanal cheeses, to homemade pastas and breads, delicious pastries and even the most beautiful cuts of meat and fish. When I am standing on the check-out line, there is a 99% chance I will have Goat Cheese Agnolotti in my basket at Eataly, and Pear and Cheese Fiochetti in my basket at Agata & Valentina. Agnolotti are miniature raviolis stuffed with a creamy, rich goat cheese filling, and Fiochetti (sometimes called Pasta Purses in the US) are small bundles of pasta filled with cheese (and sometimes fruit or mushrooms). I prefer the Pear and Cheese Fiochetti because they use the perfect blend of cheeses combined with sweet pears to give it a pop of freshness. I make a simple White Wine Butter Sauce with fresh Marjoram or fresh Sage to compliment the flavors of the pasta. Make this for a friend or a significant other and I promise they will never let you go!
Recipe Feeds 2 People-
Ingredients-
About 8 ounces of Fiochetti (for 2 people) or .7 lbs of Agnolotti (for 2 people)
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1.5 Teaspoons Olive Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Garlic (minced finely)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
2 Tablespoons Cream
1/4 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Marjoram or Sage
2-3 Tablespoons of White Wine
Parmigiano Reggiano (enough to grate a generous amount over the top of each dish)
Steps-
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
While you are waiting for the water to boil start making the sauce.
In a medium nonstick frying pan, melt the butter and add the olive oil to the butter.
Sautee the garlic until it starts to get fragrant. You do not want the garlic to turn dark brown or the sauce will have a bitter taste! Keep it on low heat.
Add the cream and stir until combined.
Add White Wine and fresh Marjoram or Sage and Let the sauce simmer until the alcohol burns off and the sauce thickens.
If you would like your sauce thicker, you can make a “faux roux” I call it. To do this you take one Tablespoon of butter and knead about 1 Tablespoon of flour into it as if the butter were dough. Whisk the butter into the sauce and within a minute or two the sauce will start to thicken.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the water is boiling, drop the fresh pasta in the pot. Fresh pastas like agnolotti and fiochetti cook very fast! Once they float to the top that means they are good to go! Cut one open and make sure the inside is warm and you are all set!
Using a slotted spoon, remove the pasta from the water and place it right in the pan with the sauce.
Gently toss the pasta around in the sauce and then grate fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over the top. For an extra garnish, sprinkle on some fresh Marjoram or Sage! Enjoy!
