Working on My Zuchinni Body

So, a few weeks ago I posted a recipe for fresh pasta and I'm sure you have practising every weekend. Right? Well, I have. So today I made a stuffed pasta. It's not quite a ravioli, more like an agnolotti for the people who know the difference.

Precooked Agnalotti

The filling can be anything you like: meat, cheese, squash, spinach or whatever. It's usually made into a paste and laid into the pasta and fold it into the desired shape.Here I cubed grilled zucchini and covered a square sheet of pasta with another layer of pasta and sealed it.

It is an easy stuffing that takes minutes to make. If you want to make a cheese filling, you can easily research a recipe or if you want me to post a recipe, please write a comment asking me for a recipe you would like to see.

If you are adventurous enough to make the recipe, this gives you some serious street cred. And with ingredients that costs next to nothing, what do you have to lose?

When adding salt to the boiling water to cook the pasta, be sure to add enough salt to the point where you can actually taste the salt when you try tasting the water. Add a small drizzle of oil to the water so that it is less likely to boil over while cooking the pasta. If you added too much salt to the water, simply press control, salt, delete.

Grilled Zuchinni Stuffed Agnalotti with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Photos by my totally talented daughter Iris. 

1 Zuchinni, cut into 4 strips
Tsp. Dried Basil
Fresh pasta (see previous post)
1 Red Onion, julienne
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Handful of Spinach
A few drizzles of oil
250 ml Tomato Sauce (preferably homemade)
1 tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano and Flatbread for garnish
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Make fresh pasta and lay down on your prep table into long strips.

Preheat your grill to high heat. Toss zucchini in oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and dried basil. Grill 2 minutes on each side. Allow to cool and cut into small cubes.

Using a pizza cutter, cut pasta into approximately 1" by 1" squares. Spoon a small amount of the grilled veg on every second square. Take another square of pasta and cover. Using a fork, press the edges along the side to seal the stuffing into the pasta square. Repeat until stuffing has been used up. This recipe made approximately 12 agnolottis making it 2 portions. Set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil.  

In a frying pan, drizzle small amount of oil and sauté onions for 2 minutes. Add crushed garlic and continue for another 7 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Add spinach, pinch of salt and pepper. Keep warm on low heat.

Throw pasta into the water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain and lightly toss agnalotti in oil to keep from sticking. Heat tomato sauce and spoon small amount of sauce into the base of the bowl. Layer agnolotti on top of the sauce, garnish with onions and spinach, cheese and flatbread.

Serves 2.

A Humble Chef's tip: use lots of water when cooking the pasta. It absorbs a fair amount when cooking.