Agnolotti del Plin
Serves 10 people
Ingredients for the pasta:
- 1 lb. flour
- 6 eggs
- 4 yolks
- Pinch salt
Ingredients for the filling:
- ¼ lb. rabbit
- ½ lb. pork loin
- ¼ lb. pork sausage
- ½ lb. veal
- 2 white onions
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 carrots
- 1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 stem rosemary
- 1 Bay leaf
- Beef broth
- 2 eggs
- 1 handful grated Grana Padano cheese
- 3 Tblsp meat juices from roasting pan
- 1 glass Roero Arneis wine (or another dry, Italian unoaked white wine, such as Trebbiano)
Pasta method:
- Sieve flour onto a work top surface in a pile and make a shallow pit in the center. Add 4 yolks in the center, olive oil and salt.
- Starting in the middle, beat egg mixture with a fork, gradually adding in flour from the outside in. Make into a ball by adding a little bit of water to obtain an elastic dough. Let rest for at least 1 hour.
- Add oil to pan and brown the meats in a roasting pan (or oven-safe pot) over medium heat, adding salt & pepper, garlic and rosemary. Continue to brown for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Wash and dice vegetables, then add to the pan with the meat.
- Cook for a few minutes, add white wine.
- As soon as the wine has evaporated, transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast for about 2 hours @ 400 degrees. Baste the meat with broth from time to time.
- Let cool when done, then chop all ingredients adding salt & pepper, 2 eggs and Grana Padano.
- Roll out the pasta into a very fine strip with a rolling pin so that it is 1 inch wide, then place small piles of the meat filling along the centre, leaving a small space between the pile. Fold pasta over to cover the meat and press down gently in between each meat pile.
- Cut into individual agnolotti with a ravioli wheel or knife and close the open sides with a pinch. Cook in salted water for 4-6 minutes.
Serve with sage & brown butter, tomato sauce or your favorite pasta sauce.
About Donato Scotti:
Growing up in the small town of Bergamo, near Lake Como, Italy, Donato Scotti's roots were planted from a young age for his future career as a chef. Fine cooking, homemade products and a personal touch were a part of the culture and daily life, where he delivered bread by bicycle to local residents as a child.
Hailing from a family of avid rural gastronomes, he grew up accustomed to fresh rabbits and chickens raised by his father, and homegrown, seasonal vegetables from the family garden, living from farm to table every day.
Now the executive chef of his own eponymous Donato Enoteca in Redwood City, CA, Scotti's dream of opening his own restaurant with true and honest contemporary Italian cuisine has become a reality. It is a place where he creates a weekly-changing menu reminiscent of his childhood days, filled with artisanal ingredients, seasonal California farmer's market produce and authentic Italian hospitality.
Scotti's approach consists of keeping dishes simple, yet delectable, and allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves, always attune to maintaining a balance in flavor. Dishes from his native Lombardia region are exhibited on the menu, such as Risotto Milanese and Ossobuco, but updated with a modern twist.
Scotti's path to Donato Enoteca began in high school, when he worked at the Michelin-starred Ristorante Del l'Angelo in Italy, a regional destination for serious food lovers. Shortly thereafter, he studied formally at the Instituto Alberghiero di San Pellegrino culinary school, which has trained such other acclaimed chefs as Luciano Pellegrini and Angelo Auriana.
After graduating at the age of 21, the allure of travel and culinary exploration tugged at Scotti and he moved to New York City, working at an Italian restaurant on the southeast corner of Central Park. He then decided to move Westward to Los Angeles where the opportunity to work at the legendary Valentino restaurant and the bounty of California's fresh and local ingredients was unsurpassable.
Under the direction of owner Piero Selvaggio, Scotti shined at Valentino, moving up in the ranks during his six years there to eventually become the Chef. He later worked at Primi and Posto, before moving north to Fresno. In 2000 he joined Il Fornaio in Sacramento, growing within the company and taking positions at their Walnut Creek and Palo Alto locations as head chef.
In 2004, Scotti designed the concept and opened La Strada in Palo Alto with his friend and business partner who appreciated his vision for a modern ristorante that combined fine food with an elegant yet rustically friendly ambience. Building upon his excellent reputation in the Peninsula for fine cuisine, he focused his menu at La Strada primarily on the Northern Italian regions and set the stage for where he is today.
Now, branching out on his own, Scotti brings the authentic flavors of Italy to Northern California on the palate of a beautifully-designed modern restaurant with rustic accents at Donato Enoteca.
Please join Chef Scotti at two events at his restuarant:
Donato Enoteca hosts "Enoteca 100" Italian food and wine tasting celebration
1041 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
Note: Caltrain Redwood City stop is across the street from the restaurant.
Featuring 100+ fine Italian wines paired with bites from Chef Donato Scotti's menu to sip, savor and sample
Donato Enoteca will be the stage upon which dozens of artisan Italian wine importers will offer tastes of their finest wines at the "Enoteca 100" event on November 7, 2009.
Featuring more than 100 wines from all over Italy, including beloved Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello di Montalcino, "Enoteca 100" will be the biggest and best wine event on the Peninsula. Several of the wines featured also hold the prestigious "Tre Bicchieri" (three glasses) distinction of excellence for Italian wines.
Regions represented at the event include Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte, Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli, Toscana, Sicilia and Sardegna. Guests will also enjoy hors d'oeuvres from Executive Chef and owner Donato Scotti's menu with specialties to complement the wines such as imported prosciuttos, speck, Grana Padano and Asiago cheeses, along with house-made dishes such as the Wild Boar Bruschetta; House-made Sausage; Risotto Nero with fresh seafood; Porchetta (whole roasted pig); Grilled Wild Prawns; Agnolotti del plin; and Milk Braised Baccala.
Saturday, November 7, 1-4 p.m.
VIP Preview: 12-1 p.m.
COST:
VIP Preview - $70
General Admission - $55
Early Bird General Admission - $50 (limited)
Donato Enoteca offers coveted white truffles and special menu in November:
Executive Chef/Owner Donato Scotti to create a special "Tartufi Bianchi" menu celebrating these beloved and rare funghi for two weeks in November
Hiding just under the surface and hunted in the wild by dogs and swine, one of Italy's greatest delicacies will soon be unearthed for hungry diners to enjoy. Designed to tease the palate with a unique flavor unlike anything else, rare white truffles will be offered at Donato Enoteca from November 11 to 22 (or while supplies last) and shaved atop dishes in a special "Tartufi Bianchi" menu created by Executive Chef Donato Scotti.
A four-course truffle tasting menu will be offered for approximately $125 as well as a la carte dishes where guests may choose to have a shaving of white truffles for an additional $50-75 (depending on market prices). Donato's menu combines the bounty of fall harvest ingredients in warm and comforting dishes created to complement the aromatic and earthy flavor of truffles, such as Carne All'Albese - Alba style raw beef tenderloin, "Carta Musica" bread; Raviolo All'Uovo -large raviolo with egg yolk & ricotta; Tajerin - classic Piedmontese shoe string pasta with butter; and Risotto e Tartufo - risotto Parmiggiana.
To purchase a ticket or to make reservations, visit www.donatoenoteca.com or call (650) 701-1000.
