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    Home » Nuts and Starches

    Squash Agnolotti with Cream and Balsamic Vinegar

    Published: Dec 10, 2018 Modified: Feb 21, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Agnolotti pasta filled with buttercup squash in a sauce of cream, hickory nut oil and tart balsamic vinegar. This is one of my favorite pasta specials I used to run in the Fall. I use a few special ingredients here, but you can improvise with what you have on hand.

    Buttercup squash ravioli with hickory nuts and birch syrup
    Squash agnolotti with cream, grated parmesan, balsamic syrup, and golden brown hickory nuts.

    How to make agnolotti

    Agnolotti are very similar to ravioli, but they're faster to make in quantity since they aren't cut out with a ring mold individually.

    Just like ravioli, you put the filling in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip, piping mounds on the pasta dough. The difference between agnolotti and ravioli is agnolotti are folded over and have a small lip of dough on the bottom. You can see that in the last image below.

    Chefs love these as a ravioli alternative that gives more yield for the labor involved.

    cutting a sheet of thin fresh pasta
    Run the dough through a pasta machine to the second-to last setting.
    piping filling onto pasta dough
    Pipe filling onto the dough on a work surface.
    rolling over pasta around filling
    Fold dough over to encase the filling.
    cutting pasta with a fluted pastry cutter
    Press down between the lumps of filling with your index finger and cut into packets.
    trimming filled agnolotti with a fluted pastry cutter
    I like to cut with a fluted pastry wheel sometimes.
    finished agnolotti laid out on a cutting board
    Finished agnolotti.

    Choosing the flavors

    I love pasta filled with squash, and there's lots of different things you can serve them.

    Here I use an interesting trick you probably haven't heard of: mixing oil into cream. It might sound like overkill, but cream amplifies the flavor of rich oils, especially nut oils. And, if you like squash, you know toasted nuts are one of the best things to pair with them.

    It's easy to do. Heat a little cream with a pinch of salt, then stir in some aromatic nut oil before tossing with the pasta. The cream and oil won't blend, and you don't want them too. The finished dish appears as a broken sauce of white cream dotted with golden oil.

    I use Sam Thayer's bitternut hickory nut oil, but you could use walnut, hazelnut, or pecan oil.

    Balsamic

    Oil and cream are rich, so something acidic can help add balance to the dish. A little balsamic vinegar is the perfect accent, but you need to make sure you use the right kind.

    Regular balsamic vinegar is loose and watery, but aged balsamic, especially ones 10-20 years old will be thicker and easier to drizzle. Besides being thicker, the aged syrup is also sweeter. The good stuff is expensive though. Here's one that's doesn't cost too much.

    Saba is a similar condiment you can use, made from the must of grapes. It's sweeter than balsamic, as well as cheaper. If you don't have either of those, you can always use thick balsamic, or balsamic reduction syrup.

    You can make balsamic reduction at home by reducing balsamic vinegar by 60% of it's volume.

    Bitternut Hickory Nuts
    Bitternut hickories I picked with Sam Thayer, who pressed them into oil that I used at the dinner. Sam sells the oil at www.foragersharvest.com

    The basic flavor combo of dairy, nut oil, and sweet-tart reduction could take a number of forms. If you don't have any nut oil, brown butter is good too. If you'd like to try your hand at something similar, here's some flavor combos you might try:

    Similar flavor combinations 

    • Squash Ravioli, Cream, Walnut or Pecan Oil, 10 yr Balsamic, Walnuts
    • Poultry Liver Ravioli, Cream, Hazelnut Oil, 10 yr Balsamic, Hazelnuts
    • Squash Ravioli, Cream, Pumpkinseed Oil, Pumpkinseeds

    Chef's Tips

    Here's a few things to keep in mind.

    • I used hickory nut oil, but you can use any nut oil you like.
    • If you don't want to use cream, use browned butter and skip the cream and oil altogether.
    • After I make the pasta, I may freeze them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, then put them into a zip-top bag until I need them. Frozen ravioli will last for a few weeks in the freezer.
    • Fried sage leaves always make a good garnish for dishes with squash.
    • You can use a food processor to make the pasta dough if you don't have a stand mixer, or don't want to knead.
    • Originally I made this with birch syrup, but balsamic is easier to come by. If you have some birch syrup, this is a great place to use it.

    More 

    The Forager's Guide to Shagbark Hickory Nuts 

    Bitternut Hickory Nuts

    agnolotti pasta in a bowl with cream sauce and birch syrup and spoon
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Squash Agnolotti with Cream and Balsamic Vinegar

    Squash ravioli with shagbark hickory nuts, birch syrup and hickory nut oil. For serving as an appetizer, this is too rich to eat as an entree, although some people would. 
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Keyword: Hickory nuts
    Servings: 2 Servings
    Calories: 654kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 10 inch saute pan

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz cooked squash ravioli preferably homemade using kabocha or buttercup squash
    • 6 Tablespoons heavy cream
    • High quality grated parmesan to taste
    • Birch syrup a good drizzle for each serving
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • 2 tablespoons toasted shagbark hickory nuts
    • 2 Tablespoons walnut oil I used bitternut hickory oil
    • Fresh cracked black pepper

    Instructions

    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the agnolotti until al dente. Meanwhile, just before the ravioli is done, heat the cream in a 8 inch saute pan until steaming and hot, but don't boil.
    • Stir the oil into the cream, it won't become homogenous. Transfer the ravioli to the pan with the cream, turn the heat back on and get them hot, adding a splash of pasta cooking water if the pan gets dry.
    • Double check the seasoning, adjust as needed for salt and divide between small, heated pasta bowls as an appetizer. Garnish with the parmesan, fresh cracked black pepper, a few toasted hickory nuts, and a good drizzle of the balsamic.

    Notes

    If you prefer to make your own homemade agnolotti, for a pound of fresh pasta dough, you'll want the following for the filling. 
    • 1 lbs roasted butternut squash
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
    • ⅛th of a whole nutmeg, grated
    • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
    • ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
    • 1 tablespoon flavorless oil
    • Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
    Mix all the ingredients together, double check the filling for salt and pepper, and reserve. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 712mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 662IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 12mg

    Buttercup squash ravioli with hickory nuts and birch syrup

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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