Agnolotti Uovo Con Tartufi

Agnolotti uovo is just a fancy pants way of saying, "egg ravioli" with truffle.  I just think it sounds much sexier when said in Italian.  Beyond its' alluring name which rolls off the tongue, this pasta dish is delicious, simple and very, very sexy.  I found myself inventing the culinary strategy while driving in stop and go traffic the other day.  My mind took a little detour as I envisioned the flavors.  I began to taste the slightly nutty browned butter, sweet caramelized shallots and earthy white truffle oil pooling with the warm, rich egg yolks.  I imagined the resulting sauce to be extraordinarily rich and complex.  I am strongly attracted to ingredient emphasized applications such this.  The success of this dish is largely owed to the quality of the basic staples from which it's comprised. Yes, I know, there's white truffle oil in it.  Rest assured, this is the single exotic ingredient on a very short list.  Otherwise, we're talking eggs, butter, shallots, flour... basics.

Once through the traffic, I hurried home and opened a carton of free range eggs given to me by a friend.  They were all lovely shades of cream and brown.  I began to crack them in earnest, separating the yolks carefully so as not to lose one.  One by one, my family wandered in to the kitchen and began to ask what I was up to.  I was in a haze of concentration, only able to mumble single word answers.  As usual my children were particularly insistent and would not vacate until I told them what was on the menu.  Without looking up, I quickly uttered the words, "agnolotti uovo con tartufi".  They both stared at me.  My youngest son proclaimed with hands on hips, "Well, I'm not eating that tartufi-whatever!"  I dismissed him with a wave of my hand.  As with every new dish I introduce, my children are more than happy to baptize me by fire.  Over time they have proven to be my toughest critics.  Needless to say, I made the cut.  I'm happy to report that I survived to compete a second day in what I now consider to be my own private "Kitchen Stadium".  Please find my recipe below.  I hope you enjoy!

Agnolotti Uovo Con Tartufi

For The Pasta
2 Cups Flour
3 large, fresh eggs

For the Filling
12 large, fresh egg yolks

For the Sauce
1 stick (80z.) good quality salted butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots 
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Roll the pasta sheets up to the 7th setting on your pasta machine or as thin as possible by hand with a rolling pin.  Place a large pot of heavily salted water on to boil.  Carefully place a the whole egg yolks in the center of the sheet allowing for at least 1" of space around each .  Wet the edges around each egg yolk with water and lay a second sheet on top.  Seal the edges of each ravioli thoroughly and cut in to individual raviolis.  Place finished raviolis on a dry, clean towel or parchment paper.  Once all the raviolis are finished, in a large saute pan, heat the butter and sliced shallots over medium heat.  Begin to boil the raviolis for 1.5-2 minutes total.  Flip them to cook on both sides.  Remove each drained ravioli to a large serving bowl.  Allow the butter in the saute pan to bubble until just barely golden.  The shallots should be translucent and just beginning to caramelize.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the truffle oil.  Mix to combine.  Pour the sauce over the warm raviolis and add fresh cracked pepper and sea salt to taste.  Serve hot.

Serves 4