ANOLINI is a type of fresh, beef filled pasta from the city of Parma in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Its name comes from the word for ‘ring’, ‘anello.
Anolini is made by placing small portions of filling on a sheet of egg pasta, about 1 3/4 inch apart. A second sheet is placed over this, a hollow fist is used to fix the pasta before cutting into 1 1/4 inch, domed discs. The cut can be made with an anolino stamp or cookie cutter of similar size.
The process for making anolini is a labor of love, requiring several days of patient preparation. To make the filling, lean beef is simmered with carrots, celery, and onion for a full day. The meat is then finely minced and mixed together with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and a little bit of the stewed beef juices to form a flavorful stuffing for each anolino.
Anolini are best served and cooked in a meat broth. Traditionally, the broth is made well ahead of time by slowly cooking beef and capon in wine over a long period of time, from 16 to 36 hours. It is the tender meat from this that goes into the filling of the anolini.