SPRING AGNOLOTTI with FAVAS, MINT, and SHERRY CREAM

SERVES 4 TO 6

While I’m a big fan of ravioli in any season, I prefer agnolotti in the spring. The smaller size matches the season’s delicate ingredients. When fresh favas show up at your farmers’ market, grab them. Their grassy earthiness pairs so well with fresh mint and a creamy filling. For a simpler filling, use a full recipe of Minted Pea Ricotta (here). —CHAD

SPRING AGNOLOTTI

2½ pounds young fava beans in pods

2 tablespoons everyday olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup white wine

3 tablespoons Kite Hill cream cheese

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ tablespoon sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

½ pound Pasta Dough (here), prepared through step 2

Semolina flour, for dusting

SAUCE AND PLATING

Sea salt

¼ cup raw almonds

2 tablespoons everyday olive oil

3 tablespoons minced shallots

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup dry sherry

¼ to ½ cup Vegetable Stock (here) or store-bought

2 cups Cauliflower Mornay Sauce (here)

2½ tablespoons very small mint leaves

1 lemon

Plant-based Parmesan, as from Follow Your Heart, optional

FOR THE AGNOLOTTI: Blanching and peeling fava beans takes some time. Enlist a friend or two to help out (or see Pro Tip). Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole fava pods and blanch for 1½ minutes, then transfer the pods to a bowl of ice water. When cool, pinch open the pods and pluck the favas from the pods. Then, pinch open the pale green skin on each fava and pop out the bright green beans, gathering the beans in a bowl. You should have about 2½ cups peeled fava beans. This step can be done 4 to 6 hours ahead of time. Just cover the peeled favas and refrigerate.

For the filling, heat a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the shallots, and cook until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and peeled favas and let cook for a few minutes, stirring a few times, then pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking for a minute or so.

Scrape the ingredients into a food processor. Add the cream cheese, zest, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides. Pulse in the mint so it doesn’t get completely pureed. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with ½-inch round tip (or a zipper-lock bag, then cut off ½ inch from one corner), and chill the filling in the fridge to firm it up.

Roll the pasta into sheets as directed in the pasta dough recipe. Cut the sheets so they are about 5 inches wide and 12 inches long. Cover with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.

Cut each sheet of pasta lengthwise down the middle to make 2 evenly sized sheets. About ½ inch from the long edge of each sheet, pipe a solid 1-inch-wide line of filling across the entire length of the sheet, leaving ½ inch at each end.

Fold the sheet lengthwise to cover the line of filling. Using a finger, press around the filling in ½-inch intervals to press out air and seal the pasta. Once pressed, use a pasta cutting wheel to cut a square edge between each agnolotti to seal and separate each one.

Dust small baking sheets with semolina, then use a dough scraper to carefully transfer the finished agnolotti to the pans. Freeze the pans of finished pasta until frozen solid, at least 1 hour. Use immediately or transfer to airtight containers or zipper-lock bags. The agnolotti can be made ahead and frozen for up to 4 weeks. They hold up a little better when frozen.

FOR THE SAUCE: Bring a large pasta pot of salted water to a boil, then cut the heat so that the water simmers slowly. A full boil could break open the delicate fresh pasta.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry large sauté pan over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan now and then. Remove from the heat, let cool a bit, then coarsely crush or chop the almonds. Set aside.

Heat the almond pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then the shallots. Let cook until nicely browned, a few minutes, then add the garlic and stir until it begins to stick to the pan a bit. Pour in the sherry to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned glaze from the pan bottom. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, a minute or two. Pour in ¼ cup of the stock and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the Mornay and cut the heat to low.

Drop the agnolotti in the simmering pot of seasoned water, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Crank the heat to quickly return the water to a simmer, then adjust the heat so that the water simmers gently. Cook until the pasta floats to the top, about 4 minutes (2 minutes if not frozen).

Meanwhile, the sauce will begin bubbling around the sides, slowly thickening up. Cook it for a minute or two. If it gets too thick, add a splash more stock to loosen it. It should be creamy.

Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the pasta to the sauce. Shake the pan, tossing gently until the pasta is evenly coated.

TO PLATE: Spoon a generous amount of pasta on each plate and garnish with almonds, a few mint leaves, a fine zesting of lemon (a Microplane works best), and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Pro Tip

If peeling favas feels like too much of a pain in the ass, use 2½ cups peeled edamame or defrosted frozen peas.

OPTION

Fresh spring morel mushrooms make a nice addition here. Add them to the sauce near the end of cooking just until they soften up a bit.