Mushroom Agnolotti with Bean and Sausage Sauce

What are these pasta recipes doing on a blog about desserts? Well, we bakers DO eat real food, too! And who can resist a contest where the prize is a set of All-Clad copper core pots. I had such good success with my first recipe using Buitoni’s new pasta products, that I was thrilled to receive my package of their new mushroom agnolotti. Thank you to Foodbuzz and Buitoni for introducing me to these wonderfully plump mushroom half-moons. In this recipe I've paired them with a melange of diced tomatoes, beans, sausage and zucchini

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 zucchini, washed and cut into small dice (leave the skin on for lovely color)
Seasoned salt to taste

1/2 cup diced sweet onions (or more to taste)
1 cup mushrooms, washed dried and sliced into 1/8-inch pieces
6 uncooked breakfast sausages (preferably turkey)

1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
14-ounce can kidney or mixed beans, drained
1/2 cup water

3 packages of Buitoni™ Wild Mushroom Agnolotti
3/4 cup coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese (or to taste)

Have ready a large pot of boiling water, seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini, season with seasoned salt, to taste, and cook until the zucchini just starts to brown. Remove and set aside.

Add another teaspoon or two of olive oil to the hot pan, add the onions and mushrooms, reduce the heat and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned and have lost some of their water, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add another teaspoon or two of olive oil to the pan and add the sausages. Let them brown on all sides (medium to high heat) and then remove them from the pan. Slice the sausages into 1/4-inch rounds.

Return them to the pan and let them lightly brown, about 1 minute. If there is any excess oil in the pan, it can be blotted out, if desired.

Add the vermouth or wine to the hot pan, scraping up all of the browned bits in the pan. Cook until the vermouth is almost completely evaporated out of the pan. Reduce the heat, add back in the zucchini, onions, mushrooms and sausages. Add the tomatoes, basil, sage, beans and water. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

About 6 minutes before the sauce is ready, cook the agnolotti in the boiling water, following the package directions.

Just before serving add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the sauce. Spoon the agnolotti into 6 bowls. Top with sauce and fresh cheese, to taste.

Creamy Agnolotti with Roasted Asparagus, Grapes and Shrimp

I got so excited about the Buitoni® contest, that I didn’t wait for the free sample from Buitoni, offered through Foodbuzz. I immediately went to the store to see which product I could use for dinner that evening. Here’s the result of my exuberance: A dish in which a riot of flavors leap off the plate in this colorful mix of pasta, veggies, fruit and light cream sauce.

Serves 5
2 packages Buitoni® Quatro Formaggi Agnolotti
24 thin asparagus spears, washed and tough ends cut off
2 cups red seedless grapes
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
seasoned salt, to taste
1 pound cremini mushrooms, washed, dried and halved
20 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
2-1/2 cups fat free half-and-half
2 tablespoons unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 tablespoons feta cheese or coarsely grated parmesan or a mix

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. with a rack in the center of the oven.
Boil 4 quarts of water and a little salt in a large pasta pot.

Cut half of the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the remaining asparagus in a roasting pan with 1/2 teaspoon oil and seasoned salt, to taste. Push them to one side and put the grapes on the other side of the pan, tossing them with another half teaspoon oil and salt to taste. Roast for 7-10 *minutes until the asparagus is browning and the grapes start to spit open.

While the grapes are roasting, add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a braiser or sauté pan, over high heat, until very hot. Add the mushrooms and saute them, adding a little seasoned salt to taste, until nicely browned, adjusting the heat if necessary. Remove them to a bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan, and saute the shrimp until they turn pink. Deglaze the pan with the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated.

Place half of the fat-free half and half in a shaker-jar. Spoon the flour on top, cover and shake the jar to dissolve the flour. Add to the pan along with the remaining half-and half and the thyme. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to cook the flour and thicken the sauce. When the ravioli is done, toss it in the cream sauce. The veggies, grapes, shrimp and asparagus can be tossed with the ravioli or served on top of plated servings. Just before eating, sprinkle with the feta or parmesan.