Smoked Ricotta & Bergamot...Smoked Ricotta & Bergamot Anolini with Burnt Sage Butter

Exquisite hand-folded pasta filled with house-smoked buffalo ricotta and fragrant bergamot, finished in a nutty brown butter emulsion with crispy guanciale and toasted hazelnuts.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   On a wooden work surface, create a mound with the flour and a deep well in the center. Add the egg yolks. Using a fork, gradually incorporate flour into the yolks. Knead by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is silky and elastic. Wrap tightly in plastic film and rest for at least 45 minutes.

2. 02

   In a chilled bowl, combine the smoked ricotta, bergamot zest, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Season with a touch of white pepper and sea salt. Transfer to a piping bag with a plain 1cm nozzle.

3. 03

   Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine until it reaches the thinnest setting (translucent). Pipe small mounds of filling (approx. 1 tsp) onto the sheet. Fold the dough over, press out any air bubbles, and stamp out anolini with a 3cm fluted round cutter.

4. 04

   Place guanciale in a cold skillet and bring to medium heat. Render until the fat is translucent and the meat is deeply golden and crispy. Remove guanciale with a slotted spoon and reserve both the meat and 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.

5. 05

   In a large shallow pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking until the milk solids turn a deep amber color and the aroma is nutty. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp, about 30 seconds. Stir in the reserved guanciale fat.

6. 06

   Cook the anolini in a large pot of boiling, heavily salted water for approximately 3 minutes. Use a spider strainer to transfer the pasta directly into the brown butter pan.

7. 07

   Add a small ladle of pasta cooking water to the pan and toss gently over low heat to create a creamy, emulsified sauce that coats each piece of pasta.

8. 08

   Plate the anolini immediately. Garnish with the crispy guanciale, fried sage leaves, crushed hazelnuts, and a final micro-grating of fresh bergamot zest.