Agnolotti are named for the small priests’ caps that Italians think this pasta resembles. A variation on ravioli, they are stuffed small crescents or half-moons of pasta, sometimes with a ruffled edge. The stuffing is sometimes cheese, or these days even squash or pumpkin, but generally it is cooked meat (homemade versions will make use of leftover meat.) Sometimes the meat includes brain. Like much Northern Italian pasta, the pasta is made with eggs.
Agnolotti are often used in soup or in a pasta salad, and many recipes will call for them to be cooked in a broth for added flavour.
Substitutes
Ravioli, Tortellini
History Notes
Agnolotti are a speciality of Italy’s Piedmont region (aka Piemonte, in the north west of Italy, bordering France and Switzerland.)