Chestnut Agnolotti with Brown Butter, Sage, and Fennel

Agnolotti are ravioli as made in the Piemonte region of northwest Italy: small rectangles of dough folded over a meat or vegetable filling. Sara made chestnut agnolotti in Tuscany one year for Thanksgiving and they have become a staple for her winter menus ever since. They are rich and filling so they really work best in the Italian fashion, as a small primo before the main course.

Harvested in late October and early November and kept through the winter, chestnuts have been an important part of the Tuscan diet since Etruscan times. L’albero del pane, “the bread tree,” is what they called the chestnut tree, and it’s no wonder—poor people in the mountains often relied on chestnuts to get them through until spring. On cold winter nights chestnuts were roasted over the embers in the big fireplace that dominated the farmhouse. Hot from the fire, they were dropped into a pot of red wine to further loosen the tough outer peel, then cracked and consumed right out of the shell, with a glass of that wine to wash it all down.

You will need about a pound of steamed chestnuts for this recipe; if you wish to prepare them yourself, score a cross on the rounded side of each chestnut with a sharp knife, drop them into a pan of boiling water, and let them boil for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and extract a few chestnuts at a time so the rest don’t cool down. Pull off the outer shell and then the inner membrane that encases each nut. If the nuts become too difficult to work, return them to the boil once more. When all the chestnuts are done, put them through a food mill and continue with the recipe.

It’s also possible to buy small bags (7.4 ounces in our experience) of already steamed and peeled whole chestnuts, and that’s what we use.

SERVES 6

1 recipe Basic Pasta Fresca Dough (here), made from 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour and 3 eggs

FOR THE FILLING

About 1 pound whole prepared chestnuts (two 7.4-ounce packages, vacuum packed or frozen)

1 tablespoon fennel pollen or crushed fennel seeds

Sea salt

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream, plus water if needed

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 large egg (to help seal the dough)

Semolina or fine cornmeal, for the tray

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

About ¼ cup fresh sage leaves

¼ cup coarsely grated parmigiano-reggiano, plus more to pass

Have ready the pasta dough, but do not roll it out until the filling has been prepared.

Prepare the filling: Transfer the whole chestnuts to a saucepan and add the fennel pollen, salt, and about three-quarters of the cream. Set over medium-low heat and bring to just below simmering. Turn off the heat and let the cream and chestnuts steep for 15 to 20 minutes.

At the end of this time, transfer the chestnuts and their cream to the bowl of a food processor and process to a thick cream. You’re aiming for a mixture soft enough to pipe through a pastry bag but not so wet that it could leak through the dough envelopes. Add some of the remaining cream, a tablespoon at a time, until you have the right consistency. If you use up all the cream and still have a stiff mixture (it’s hard to judge with chestnuts, which vary in consistency), add water, again a tablespoon at a time. But no more cream because the mixture is already quite rich. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or fennel pollen, if necessary.

Working with half the pasta dough and keeping the other half covered with a cloth or an upside-down bowl, roll the dough through the pasta roller until you have a sheet that is 4 inches wide and about ¹⁄16 inch thick. Lay the sheet on a lightly floured board with the long side facing you. Combine the egg with about a couple tablespoons of water to make an egg wash, then use this to paint along the bottom of the pasta sheet.

Put the chestnut filling into a piping bag and pipe dabs of filling, about 1 tablespoon each and ½ inch apart, in a regular line down the length of the sheet. Don’t put the dabs in the center of the sheet—rather, keep them toward the bottom so that you can fold the top half of the sheet over them. You should be able to get at least 18 dabs on the first sheet of pasta. Break the egg into a small bowl and beat in about ¼ cup water, then brush the mixture along the edges and in between each of the dabs of filling. Fold the top half over all the way along and press down with the side of your hand all along the edges and in between each of the filling dabs to make a series of 18 little pillows, approximately 1½ by 2 inches, each one filled with chestnut puree. Use a rotary pasta cutter to cut between the pillows, making sure that each one is sealed well on all sides. Sprinkle a tray with a layer of semolina or fine cornmeal; pick up the pasta pillows and gently lay them on the tray without touching. If you’re not going to cook them right away, cover them with a dry kitchen towel.

Dab the chestnut puree down the length of the egg-washed pasta sheet, fold over the top half of the sheet, and press down between the chestnut dabs with the side of your hand to seal the edges. Then cut between the ravioli, using a rotary pasta cutter. Set the finished ravioli on a tray with a layer of semolina or fine cornmeal to keep them from sticking.

When all the pasta and filling has been used up, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add a big spoonful of salt.

While the water is heating, melt the butter in a small skillet, and when it foams, add the sage. Let it cook gently as the butter browns and the sage leaves crisp, then keep warm until ready to serve.

Drop the agnolotti into the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each. As they cook they will rise to the top. Let them cook another minute after rising, then remove them with a slotted spoon and pile them directly on individual warm serving plates, 6 agnolotti to a serving. When all the agnolotti are done, spoon sage butter over the top and scatter some of the grated parmigiano, passing more cheese at the table. Serve immediately.