Casoncelli with Crispy Sage and Brown Butter

This is the first stuffed pasta I learned to make at Taverna Colleoni dell’Angelo. The preparation, a type of ravioli, is local to Bergamo and has evolved among cooks over many decades. Years ago in the region, when times were lean, ravioli were made with whatever scraps of meat were left over. The scraps were cooked in red wine and then ground up and mixed with herbs, raisins, crushed cookies or whatever was on hand to bulk up the filling. Today, of course, casoncelli is more refined. When choosing meat scraps for this recipe, use a mixture of lean and fatty pieces. If you are buying meat solely for this recipe, use shoulder (chuck) cuts or dark poultry meat for the most flavor. Makes 8 to 10 servings. INGREDIENTS Casoncelli: 4 ounces boneless pork shoulder or scraps

4 ounces boneless veal shoulder (chuck) or scraps

4 ounces boneless beef shoulder (chuck) or scraps

4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thigh or scraps 2 ounces salami 2 ounces prosciutto ¼ cup olive oil ½ carrot, peeled and finely chopped ½ onion, finely chopped ½ celery stalk, finely chopped 1 cup dry red wine 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Leaves from ½ bunch of sage (8 to 10 small leaves), finely chopped 2 large eggs ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup raisins ¼ cup crushed amaretti or other almond cookies Freshly grated nutmeg Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound basic pasta dough (see below) Crispy sage and pancetta: 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter 4 ounces pancetta, julienned 20 small leaves fresh sage INSTRUCTIONS

For the casoncelli: If you have purchased pork, beef, veal and chicken for this recipe, cut them into uniform chunks, so they will brown easily. Cut the salami into chunks and the prosciutto into strips. Heat 2 tablespoons on the oil in a big sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork, veal, beef, chicken, salami and prosciutto and cook, turning as needed, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meats are deeply browned (almost burned). Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a separate sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion and celery and cook, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned. Add the cooked vegetables to the meat, pour in the wine and scrape the pan bottom to loosen any browned-on bits. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the garlic and sage. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes or until so brown that you need to scrape it off the bottom of the pan (if it looks like you’ll need to soak the pan for a day afterward, it’s ready). Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to almost room temperature.

Using a meat grinder fitted with the ¼-inch (fine) die, grind the cooled mixture, capturing it in a bowl. Add the eggs, Parmesan, raisins and cookie crumbs and season generously with nutmeg and with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Cover and refrigerate until needed. You should have 2½ to 3 cups filling.

Make the pasta dough and roll out as directed. Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and cut in half lengthwise to make 2 long sheets each 3 to 4 inches wide. Spray the sheets lightly with water. Place ½- to ¾-inch balls of filling at 1½-inch intervals down the center of both sheets. Starting at the short end of 1 sheet, pick up the long edge and fold it over the filling to meet the long edge on the other side. The fold should oc-

PHOTO COURTESY OF VETRI CUCINA Casoncelli with crispy sage and brown butter has “something for everyone,” says chef Marc Vetri.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VETRI CUCINA Chef Marc Vetri founded Vetri Cucina, Osteria, Pizzeria Vetri and more.