Piedmont filled pasta · Roast filling and the defining “plin” pinch
Agnolotti del Plin with three-meat filling,hand-pinched Piedmont pasta finished with brown butter, sage and Parmigiano
Agnolotti del plin made with a thin egg pasta wrapped around a slow-cooked pork, rabbit and veal filling with escarole and Parmigiano, then boiled briefly and finished with brown butter and sage.
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Preparation
- 1 h 30 min
- Cooking
- 2 h 15 min
- Passive time
- 2 h
- Total
- 5 h 45 min
- Per serving
- ≈ 700 kcal
01 · Identity, texture and technique
How this version is built
The method follows the dish rather than a fixed card count, with attention to moisture, heat and observable readiness.
Agnolotti del plin are a Piedmont filled pasta distinguished by a small pinch — the “plin” — between portions of filling. Regional formulas vary, so the locked version here follows a Piedmont tourism recipe that combines pork, rabbit and veal with escarole, vegetables and Parmigiano. The filling is cooked first and allowed to cool before it is minced. The pasta sheet is then rolled thin enough to stay delicate around a relatively concentrated meat centre.
The meat phase takes most of the cooking time. Pork, rabbit and veal cook slowly with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary and bay until tender and nearly dry. Escarole is cooked separately or folded in near the end so excess water can evaporate. Once cold, the mixture is minced and bound with egg and Parmigiano. A wet filling would steam inside the pasta and weaken the seal, so any visible cooking liquid is reduced before the mixture leaves the pan.
The dough is straightforward egg pasta but it needs a long rest after kneading. Resting relaxes the gluten and lets the moisture distribute evenly, making the sheet easier to roll without springing back. Small mounds of filling are piped or spooned in a line, the sheet is folded over them, and the fingers press between each mound to make the characteristic pinch. A fluted wheel or knife then separates the individual pieces while keeping the seam closed.
Piedmont restaurants serve plin in several ways, including roast juices and butter with sage. The supplied images show the latter, so brown butter and sage are the selected finish. The pasta cooks only three to four minutes in gently boiling salted water. It moves straight into foaming butter, where it is coated rather than fried. A small amount of Parmigiano finishes the plate. The final pasta should feel thin and supple, with a compact savoury filling and visible pinched shape.
Dry the filling before chilling
Reduced cooking juices keep the pasta seam strong and prevent a watery centre.
Rest the dough fully
Two hours of rest makes a thin sheet easier to roll and less likely to contract after cutting.
Pinch between the filling mounds
The defining plin is a structural seal, not only decoration; air should be pressed away before cutting.
02 · Measured components
Ingredients for 4 servings
Ingredient groups follow the actual components prepared at different points in the workflow.
For the filling
- 100 gpork leg, diced
- 100 grabbit meat, diced
- 100 gveal shoulder, diced
- 150 gescarole, washed and chopped
- 100 gonion, diced
- 80 gcarrot, diced
- 50 gcelery, diced
- 1garlic clove, crushed
- 15 mlextra virgin olive oil
- 1small rosemary sprig
- 1bay leaf
- 1large eggFor binding the cooled filling.
- 50 gParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 4 gfine salt
- 1 gblack pepper
For the pasta
- 250 gplain flour
- 3large eggs
- 1egg yolk
- 2 gfine salt
For the butter and sage finish
- 80 gunsalted butter
- 12sage leaves
- 30 gParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
03 · Executable method
Preparation method
Timing is paired with visible, tactile or temperature-based cues so the recipe does not depend on the clock alone.
Cook and chill the filling
Brown and braise the meats
Heat olive oil and brown pork, rabbit and veal. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, rosemary and bay; cook gently, then add a small splash of water and braise covered for about 90 minutes, uncovering near the end.
The meats should be tender and the pan almost dry, with no pool of cooking liquid.Cook the escarole and mince
Add escarole and cook until wilted and dry. Remove rosemary and bay. Cool, then mince finely and mix with egg, 50 g Parmigiano, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until firm.
The filling should hold a small mound without releasing liquid.
Make and shape the plin
Knead and rest the pasta dough
Mix flour, eggs, yolk and salt, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Wrap and rest at cool room temperature for 2 hours.
The rested dough should feel supple and no longer spring sharply back when pressed.Roll, fill and pinch
Roll the dough very thin, one strip at a time. Place small filling mounds in a row, fold the pasta over them, press out air and pinch firmly between each mound. Cut into small agnolotti with a wheel.
Each piece should have a sealed edge and a clear pinched waist between neighbouring pockets.
Boil and finish in butter
Boil the agnolotti
Bring a wide pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the agnolotti for 3–4 minutes, stirring carefully once.
The pasta should be tender at the seam while the parcels remain intact.Brown butter with sage
While the pasta cooks, melt butter with sage until the milk solids turn hazelnut-brown and smell nutty.
Remove from direct heat before the solids turn dark brown.Coat and serve
Lift the agnolotti into the butter with a little cooking water. Toss gently for 30–60 seconds, then plate with the remaining Parmigiano.
The pasta should be glossy with a thin butter coating, not sitting in a deep pool of fat.
04 · Serving and handling
Serving, make-ahead and storage
Guidance stays specific to the texture and food-safety needs of this dish.
Serving
Serve as a first course immediately after coating. A warm plate prevents the butter from setting before the first bite.
Make-ahead
The filling can be prepared one day ahead. Shaped agnolotti can be frozen in one layer, then bagged and cooked from frozen with a slightly longer boil.
Storage
Cooked filled pasta is best eaten at once. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 2 days; reheat to 74 °C with a splash of water and fresh butter.
05 · Approximate nutrition per serving
Nutrition estimate
Calculated as a practical estimate from the complete ingredient quantities and stated yield; brands, trimming, oil absorption and portioning change the final values.
- Calories
- ≈ 700 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- ≈ 54 g
- Protein
- ≈ 34 g
- Fat
- ≈ 39 g
- Fibre
- ≈ 4 g
- Sodium
- ≈ 720 mg
Serving: 1 pasta course. Allergen note: Contains gluten, eggs and milk. Values are approximate, not laboratory measurements.
