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Here is a gentle meat filling for your jewels of Italian dining. This is adapted from Marcella's latest book: "Marcella Says". (see library). If you love making ravioli, you owe it to yourself to get this book and read Marcella on the subject. Your ravioli will be best ever.

for the filling:

• one half pound ground veal
• six ounces shitake mushrooms
• six ounces crimini (brown) mushrooms
• three tablespoons olive oil
• one clove garlic, finely diced
• one cup onion, finely diced
• three tablespoons unsalted butter
• one half cup dry white wine
• one tablespoon tomato paste
• two tablespoons ricotta
• one egg
• one-half teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• one half cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt and pepper

>>We find this filling makes about 72 agnolotti -- with the agnolotti being three inches in diameter.

Trim the stems off the mushrooms. Then chop them into small squares. In a non-stick pan, add one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Over a high heat, add the mushrooms and mix them in the oil/butter with a slotted spoon. The turn down the heat to medium, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt, and cook them, turning them regularly. Continue cooking until all the moisture that they release has evaporated and the mushrooms are very soft. This might take fifteen minutes.

In a saute pan, add the two additional tablespoons of olive oil and butter, and add the garlic. Cook for a minute. Add the onion and cook for two minutes. Add the ground veal and cook over a medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break up the meat into tiny pieces, until the veal is no longer pink, about five minutes. If the mixture is too dry, add more oil and butter. Keep mit moist.

Add the wine, a teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper, and cook for four minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for three minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another three minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

After the meat cools, add the ricotta, the egg, and the nutmeg  and mix thoroughly. Taste for salt and pepper. Then add the parmesan, and stir some more, until you get a paste-like mixture, solid enough to hold a shape when dropped on the pasta sheets.

You are ready to fill the agnolotti, putting about a shy teaspoon of filling in the center of the three-inch diameter circle. Wet around the edges, fold over, and seal tightly with your fingertips.

See how to make ravioli for the basic recipe and more complete instructions; this is your filling.

We find that a very simple sauce, which can be just butter; or butter and sage, is ideal for this pasta.

For the butter sauce: use a stick and a half of butter (three-eights of a pound). Put in a saute pan over low heat; do not let the butter brown. When the ravioli are ready, put them on the individual serving dishes. Add the melted butter on top. Also add a tablespoon or so of freshly grated parmesan.

For the butter and sage sauce: melt one quarter pound of butter over low heat. Do not brown. Add two tablespoons of freshly chopped sage. Cook and stir for two minutes. Add a touch of salt and pepper. Place the ravioli on the individual serving dishes. Pour the butter and sage sauce over them. Add a tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan. Add a sage leaf or two for decoration.

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