Fennel Sausage and Chestnut Red Wine Cappellacci With Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup red cooking wine (Merlot)
- 3 pounds fennel Italian sausage, skinless
- 1/2 bunch of fresh sage
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 cup chestnuts, roasted
- 1/3 cup mascarpone
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup butter, diced
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Heat 1¼ teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add half of the sage, chopped, and the garlic, then sauté about 1 minute until garlic is lightly colored. Add sausage and cook about 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring to break up larger pieces, until liquid evaporates and meat browns. Drain off fat, and transfer meat mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the chestnuts, mascarpone, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper, then set filling aside.
In a small pot on low heat, reduce the red wine to ¼ cup. Let wine reduction cool, then fold it into the 4 egg yolks. Place flour in a mound on a lightly floured wooden board. Make an indent in the middle of the mound, and add egg mixture into the well. Whisk eggs together, slowly incorporating the surrounding flour until the mixture becomes too thick to whisk. With floured hands, finish combining the flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Knead dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Unwrap dough, and cut in half twice creating four pieces. On a hard surface, flatten dough into paper-thin sheets until you can see your fingers through it. Using a pastry cutter, divide the sheets into strips approximately 2¾ inches wide, and then cut into squares the same width.
Place a heaping teaspoonful of filling in the center of each square. On two sides of each square, dab or brush a little water. Fold one corner of the pasta to the opposite corner to form triangles, carefully pushing out any air from the center toward the edge before sealing. Fold the outer corners of the triangle together, and seal by pressing down gently. The cappellacci will have four layers of pasta dough, so press down to squash the dough, keeping the shape and making it less thick and chewy.
Cook the cappellacci in a pot of boiling salted water for about 6 minutes, until the pasta begins to float. In the meantime, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat and letting it turn a caramel brown color. Add the remaining sage leaves to infuse in the butter. Add a ladle of water from the pot that the cappellacci are cooking in, then whisk sauce to create an emulsion. Remove cappellacci from boiling water with a slotted spoon, and place into the sauce, gently coating them. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
More recipes to come! Check back often for more amazing recipes from your favorite restaurant Andrea. In true Italian tradition, Andrea’s pasta is made fresh every day in their Cucina della Pasta, using the finest and simplest ingredients — imported stone wheat flour, organic eggs, filtered water and natural salt from Cervia, Italy. Created by hand in their one-of-a-kind pasta room, the pasta dries naturally and the temperature is always a perfect 68 degrees. For more information on their menu offerings, please visit their website at andreanb.com or call 844.445.2103
