Agnolotti with Sundried Tomatoes, Peppers, Almonds & a hint of Saffron
Update: (June 13th, 2009) – This was one of the winner recipes in the Pasta Sauce contest sponsored by Foodbuzz & Buitoni! (Read about it).
Thanks to the Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker program that I got these awesome Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti delivered to me. These are “generously filled with fresh portobello & crimini mushrooms, imported Grana Padana & Parmesan Cheeses & fresh roasted garlic.” Actually I cannot wait to buy more of these! I am not usually a big fan of filled pastas, but this did beat anything around. These were just delightful, bursting with the earthy tones of mushrooms & garlic. The mushrooms & the roasted garlic were really some serious business here, & unbelievably delicious. I could just eat them boiled.
It is what what it says on the package that they are just as good with a drizzle of olive & herbs. However this time I did make my own sauce for these raviolis this time-with my favorite combination of Roasted Red Peppers & the Sun Dried Tomatoes Pesto as the base for the sauce, along with some exotic flavor of Saffron this time.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
1 pack Agnolotti (I have used the Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti here)
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 Cup Lightly Toasted Almonds
- 1/4 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, crushed
- 3/4 Cup Sun dried Tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine
- 3 Cloves of Garlic
- 1/2 Onion (White or Yellow), coarsely Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Flakes (more or less to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cheese of your choice for garnish
Note: I had about 1/4 cup of sauce left over after using with the given amount of Agnolotti.
Preparation:Prepare the pasta according to package instruction. Drain the pasta & save the drained liquid.
Grind the Almonds, but NOT to a powder. Let them be chunky. Set aside.
Soak the saffron in 1/4 cup of warm water. Set aside.
If you are not using sun dried tomatoes in oil, it needs to be reconstituted first. Soak them in 1/2 cup of warm water for about 20 -30 minutes.
If you are not using store bought roasted red peppers, Roast them at home, Peel the blackened peels, slice them in to strips & set aside.
In a blender/processor, process together the sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, two tablespoons of olive oil, & the balsamic vinegar. Add some water water if it gets too dry. Do not make a Puree. This too needs to be kept kind of Chunky. Set aside.
Add the rest of the Olive Oil to a pan. Add the Garlic to the olive oil, & let the garlic heat up with the oil . This infuses the flavor of garlic in the oil. When the oil heats up, you will see the garlic sizzling slightly. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the onions immediately when you see the oil heat up.
Stir them together for a minute, & add the red pepper flakes, salt & black pepper. Toss them for about 2-3 minutes till the onions soften & are translucent.
Add the red wine to the pan. After a minute add the pesto of sun dried tomatoes & roasted red peppers. Stir to combine, & cover & cook for about 5-7 minutes at medium heat.
Uncover & add the almonds & the saffron. Add 1/2 cup of the drained pasta liquid & the chopped rosemary. Add the sugar & salt.
Simmer for another 5-8 minutes or till you reach the desired consistency of the sauce.
This is what my sauce looked like, chunky, rich & full of texture & flavors!
Add the Agnolotti/Pasta to the sauce. Simmer for only a minute or two & serve immediately.
Garnish with more herbs & black pepper & cheese of your choice. ( I have not used any cheese here.)
Every bite satisfied all the senses of the palate. The flavors of the sauce & the agnolotti infused in just right – there was slight hint of the saffron, & the roasted garlic in the pasta filling was very very good. There was something very physical about the texture, chewy, with the crunch of nuts & everything delicious. I seriously loved the taste & feel of almonds in the sauce. I am kind of partial to the combination of the roasted red peppers & sundried tomatoes, but this time the addition of saffron & almonds kind of culminated the prior combo.
Related Posts:
Chicken & Roasted Capsicum Pasta
Iron Skillet Spaghetti
Penne Pasta in Red Pepper Pesto with Sweet Onions & Mushrooms
Cheese & Pasta Mini Cups
Tags: Agnolloti, almonds, bell pepper, Black Pepper, buitoni, Buitoni contest winner, chunky pasta sauce, different kind of pasta sauce, eggless, eggless cooking, EVOO, foodbuzz, herbs, Homemade Pasta Sauce, how to make pasta sauce, mushroom filled, olive oil, Pasta Sauce, pasta sauce with nuts, pasta sauce with saffron, Pasta sauce with sundried tomatoes, pasta sauce with texture., ravioli, red pepper, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, rosemary, Saffron, saffron infused pasta sauce, sundried tomato, unique pasta sauce, Vegan Sauce, Vegetarian recipe
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
That pasta does sound good, but your sauce in particular gets my complete attention! Gorgeous.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
yummy pasta… I have never had stuffed pasta… yours looks delicious
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
YUM!!! We went to Olive Garden few weeks ago, had Ravioli stuffed like this, enjoiyed them very much. Photos are gorgeous Soma, great dish. Enjoy!
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
yaa..It was so so tasty..I got this too n made for yday dinner n absolutely loved ‘em.:)..I made it with chicken peppers..will post tat soon..:)..I was so impatient for the first time to eat it n the pics r so clumsy..Seeing your yummy pics..my..I am totally hooked…!!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The pasta looks really yummy Soma, especially the chunky sauce. Will give it a try soon, have most of the ingredients on hand. My eyes are drawn to the colorful platter in the pics, it looks beautiful
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Wow, thats an amazing pasta dish… Looks so delightful and yummy…
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
O my the sauce and pasta make me hungry gal! Great sauce
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Oh wow, that looks so good! I love stuffed pastas, and these sound so delicious with all the different mushrooms!!
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Love the color of that pasta sauce. Just delicious. Have to get some sundried tomatoes and try this sauce.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I knew you’d be really happy when I saw Sun-dried tomato
in my reader 
Looks great man! The nuts must have lent such a crunch no?
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
This DOES sound very delicious! I like the addition of almonds here–so creative. I’m bookmarking your sauce recipe!
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
That looks awesome. The sauce looks so yum . Photos are lovely as usual.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
what a fantastic dish, & that sauce sounds just heavenly
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I got these too, haven’t tried them yet though. I love what you did with them!
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Loved those agnolotti too! Your sauce sounds excellent!
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Love what made the sauce.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:28 pm
The sauce looks heavenly…
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 am
Looks delicious, love pastas, will definately try out, grt pictures again
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:36 am
slurrp… I am loving the pasta and that sauce is awesome. I read that ingredient list and it’s making me drool even more.
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 am
It all sounds delicious. Nice addition with the almonds.
April 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 am
This looks delicious…and receiving free (good) food is always a bonus.
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:34 am
I feel like screaming – GIMMEE SOME, SOMA!!
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 am
The pasta does sound nice but I love the sauce
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 am
Those do look really good! I am drooling, just thinking about them. Nice looking sauce too
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:41 am
Looks fantastic..Love pastas..the sauce sounds YUMMMM!
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:27 am
Awesome clicks make me hang here Soma…so so yummy to taste that one..would love to taste..
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
I adore filled pastas, specially agnolotti . I can eat pasta everyday and must to do exercise accordingly…..
A big and super touch the sauce with dried tomato and red peppers, a re-comforting dish!
Bravo for this delights
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
wow ! This is innovative !! I loveeeeeee the sauce there…wow !! yummy !
April 23rd, 2009 at 11:19 am
Hi Soma,
It’s a visula feast! tha’s a wonderful product. Reading throughwhat goes in the stuffing..I was drooling. U’ve used up the Agnolotti beautifully with an equally tempting sauce . Khoob bhalo Soma
TC
April 23rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
This is such an exquisite dish and an outstanding photograph.
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Thanks all of you
I cannot wait for these agnolottis to come to the store!
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:38 pm
The base combination for your sauce sounds amazing. It has that nice thick texture that I like on pasta.
April 24th, 2009 at 5:09 am
It’s your sauce that is wonderful, Sweety! You are a very talented cook
xox
April 24th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Just what I need to cool my rumbling stomach. Very pretty and appetising.
April 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
saffron is such a great addition to the pasta sauce!!
April 25th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Soma your pictures are beautiful!
I love mushrooms , I have to try the buitoni filled pasta.
The sauce sounds amazing!
April 27th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Mouthwatering pics! Wish i had a bite right now!
April 28th, 2009 at 4:00 am
Wow…this looks absolutely fabulous!!! Totally drool worthy pic!
May 19th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
I can understand why this pasta won the contest – it is really beautiful. I served the sauce with tagliatelle rather than a filled pasta; the sauce on it’s own is so full of flavour that we really didn’t need anything else to go with it besides good egg pasta and some shaved parmesan. The rough almonds give the sauce a great texture while the mix of vinegar and chilli adds a great punch of flavour. I couldn’t see in the recipe how much saffron to use so I just added a good pinch to the soaking water. Thanks for a delicious and very easy weeknight dinner!