Reheating time: 7 – 12 minutes- Boil water for pasta!

Do you have a gas, induction, or electric coil stovetop? Rachel and I just moved, and our new apartment has gas. Not like that… Our house doesn’t fart. Gas stove. We have one. Not going to lie, I definitely miss having electric. Most people think that gas is the strongest/best/most professional type of range out there- when in this day in age, that’s actually not the case. Direct flame is great for some things- but not boiling water. Surface contact makes a huge difference. It seems slightly primitive to put a huge stainless steel pot of water over a tiny little gas flame and expect it to boil in under five minutes. Wait a minute- nobody cares about this. This isn’t some kind of home-kitchen review blog- y’all are hungry. I’ll get to it. Tonight’s dinner is no joke. Perfect little pillows filled with smoked mozzarella, smothered in grass-fed beef bolognese, with parm breadcrumbs and basil + leek coulis- and some bangin’ focaccia to mop up all the sauce. Get in there!

For the agnolotti:

As I said previously, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. The trick with seasoning your pasta water is easy- you just want it to taste kinda like the ocean. This helps season the pasta as it cooks, which is very important! While the water boils, in a large saucepan, warm the bolognese over medium low heat. It’s ok if this is very thick at this point- it will be thinned out with some of the pasta water to help make your sauce. Once the water is boiling, drop in the agnolotti, give them a stir to separate, and set a timer for 2 minutes. 

Once they are done, carefully scoop them out with a slotted spoon or wire scooping apparatus (my new band name), and plop them into the pan with the bolognese. Add a few splashes of pasta water, swirl the pan to mix everything together, and scoop the sauce over the agnolotti to bury them in that beefy goodness. Season heavily with fresh cracked black pepper! And if you are feeling creamy, throw a whack or two of butter in there. Butter + pasta water = silky, amazing sauce. Cook the sauce down a bit if it’s too thin, or add some more pasta water and butter if it’s too thick. Once you’re satisfied, it’s time to plate!

Scoop the agnolotti into a shallow bowl, and get ready to drizzle/dollop. Witha small spoon, evenly distribute some of the basil + leek coulis across the plate. Finish it off with some parmesan breadcrumbs, a drizzle of fancy EVOO, and one more whack of fresh cracked black pepper. Yum. 

For the salad:

Nothing to see here- just a beautiful mixed greens salad with some delightfully bright and tasty vinaigrette. Toss the leaves in a large mixing bowl, drizzle the dressing around the sides, season with s+p, and toss to combine. Freshness!

For the focaccia:

Every time we make it, this beautiful, fluffy bread gets better and better. Certainly helps to have a kitchen that isn’t 40 degrees all the time- bread needs heat! Toast this up in the toaster oven, or griddle with some butter or olive oil. Definitely get some crust action going. You will not regret it. Enjoy!

That’s it!

Thanks for ordering 🙂 Dinner is served, and solved. See you next week!