Tony’s, the famous restaurant in Houston, has a bit of my heart. My husband and I got engaged there many Italian moons ago. Tony agreed to share this recipe – I fell in love with it at lunch one day. Take a good look at these delectable little pasta shells…what do you see? Small pockets of rich, cheesy goodness! In fact, Caramelli was named after candy wrappers and is a Northern Italian specialty! Tony’s was the first to bring them to Texas, so you can imagine they use only the finest ingredients…Reggiano Parmesan cheese aged 14 months, Italian bottled water, Caputo flour…simply luscious! Pairs beautifully with the Planeta Chardonnay from Sicily.
Method for the Pasta Filling:
Grate the Parmesan Cheese finely. In a mixing bowl, combine the Cheese, Egg Yolk, and Salt and Pepper, if needed.
Method for the Pasta Dough:
In a mixer, combine Flour, Salt, and Olive Oil and mix until everything is incorporated. Drizzle in the Water. Continue to mix until the dough becomes smooth. At this point, remove the dough from the bowl and using the extra flour, knead for about 3 minutes. A good sign is that the dough is done is if you can press it with your finger and it bounces back. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, using a pasta machine, roll it out to your desired thickness.
Method for the Sauce:
In a small sauce pot, combine the Heavy Cream and Sage. Bring this to a boil. After it has come to a boil, remove from the flame and whisk in the butter. Adjust the seasoning with Salt and Pepper.
Ingredients
Pasta Filling (makes enough for 50)
- 1/4 lb Parmesan Reggiano, grated
- 1 Ea Egg Yolk, to bind
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Pasta Dough
- 1/4 lb Caputo Flour
- 2 Ea Eggs, beaten
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 1 t Salt
- 1/2 Cup Water
- Extra Flour for kneading
Sage Sauce (makes 5 servings)
- 2 T Butter, Cold
- 2 C Heavy Cream
- 1 T Sage, chopped fine
- Salt and Pepper to taste