Agnolotti del Plin
Iconic Piedmontese pinched pasta pillows: golden egg yolk sfoglia rolled paper-thin, piped with savory spinach & ricotta filling, hand-pinched ('al plin'), and cut with a fluted brass wheel to form a sauce-catching pocket.
Everything You Need
Tipo '00' pasta flour, rich farm egg yolks, drained ricotta, squeezed spinach, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, and nutmeg.
Flour Volcano & Whisking Rich Yolks
Mound 100g of Tipo '00' pasta flour onto a raw wooden board and shape a wide volcano crater with sturdy walls. Pour 5 yolks (or 1 whole egg + 2 yolks) and 1 pinch of fine sea salt into the center. Whisk gently with a fork in circular motions, gradually drawing flour from the inner rim until a thick golden custard forms.
Yolk-Rich Golden Sfoglia
In Piedmont's Langhe hills, pasta dough is famously rich in egg yolks (similar to tajarin). The high fat content from the yolks makes the dough supple, luminous, and remarkably resistant to tearing when stretched paper-thin.
Palm-Heel Kneading & Gluten Rest
Bring the hydrated flour together and knead rhythmically on the wooden board using the heel of your palm for 8–10 minutes. Push forward, fold in half, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat until you form a smooth, satin-matte golden sphere that springs back when pressed. Wrap tightly in cling film and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Seal Moisture Inside Cling Film
Never leave kneaded dough exposed to air: even a thin dry crust creates pale flecks that refuse to seal when pinching your agnolotti. Resting wrapped relaxes the gluten so it won't snap back under the rolling pin.
Rolling & Unfolding the Thin Sfoglia Strip
Flatten the rested dough disc with your palm and roll it out with a smooth wooden rolling pin (mattarello) from the center outward. Stretch and trim or shape it into a long, even rectangular strip roughly 10–12 cm wide and ultra-thin (0.7–0.8 mm) so you can faintly see the wood grain beneath.
Why Agnolotti Need < 1 mm Dough
Because every 'plin' pinch gathers and folds multiple layers of pasta together, starting with an ultra-thin 0.7–0.8 mm sheet ensures the pinched seams cook through as tenderly as the center.
Piping the Continuous Spinach & Ricotta Log
Mix 80g well-drained ricotta, 60g wilted, bone-dry finely chopped spinach, 25g grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper, then transfer to a piping bag. Unlike classic ravioli with separate mounds, pipe one continuous, uniform cylinder (~1.2–1.5 cm thick) parallel to the bottom edge, leaving a 2 cm clean margin below.
Wring Spinach in a Kitchen Towel
Wrap cooled wilted spinach in a clean linen towel and twist tightly until zero green liquid drips out, and drain ricotta in a sieve beforehand. A firm, dry paste holds a clean cylinder shape and never makes the bottom pasta soggy.
Folding Over & The Piedmontese 'Plin' Pinch
Lift the bottom 2 cm margin of dough up and fold it snugly over the filling cylinder, pressing gently along the front edge so it adheres to the sheet without trapping air. Then, using the thumb and index finger of both hands, pinch firmly through the filled tube every 2–2.5 cm from left to right — this gesture is 'il plin' ('the pinch' in Piedmontese dialect).
Pinch Cleanly Through the Filling
Don't be afraid to pinch right onto the continuous log of filling! Firm pressure naturally pushes the soft spinach-ricotta paste left and right, leaving clean pasta-to-pasta bridges between plump pillows.
Lengthwise Trim with the Fluted Brass Wheel
Take a traditional fluted brass pastry wheel (rotella dentata) and run it smoothly in one horizontal pass parallel to the pinched log, leaving a neat 6–8 mm flat pasta lip in front of the filling. Roll up and lift away the excess upper sheet of dough — ready to use immediately for your next row of agnolotti.
Continuous Row-by-Row Production
This is why Agnolotti del Plin is the fastest artisan stuffed pasta to make in bulk: the trimmed upper sheet stays rectangular and undamaged, ready for piping the next log right away without re-kneading scraps!
Vertical Brass Wheel Cuts to Seal the Pockets
Position the fluted brass wheel directly in the center of each pinched valley and roll decisively forward — from the folded back edge across the front scalloped lip. Repeat rhythmically down the entire strip to separate and seal individual Agnolotti del Plin.
Why Heavy Brass Beats Thin Steel
A weighted brass wheel has a slightly beveled tooth profile that simultaneously crimps, welds, and cuts the two layers together, whereas a razor-sharp knife merely slices them apart without sealing.
The Finished Pocket, Semolina Dusting & Gentle Boil
Admire the crisp scalloped edges and deep sauce-catching pocket of each pillow. Scatter the finished agnolotti onto a board or tray dusted with 15g of semolina rimacinata in a single layer so they don't stick. Cook in generously salted, gently simmering water for just 2–3 minutes until tender, then lift with a spider strainer straight into your favorite butter emulsion or sauce.
Gentle Simmer & Classic Pairings
Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a violent rolling boil to protect the delicate seams. Serve tossed in foaming sage butter & Parmigiano, rich roast jus (sugo d'arrosto), or traditionally 'al tovagliolo' (plain on a linen napkin to savor the pure egg dough and filling).
