Some recipes are universal; most memories are not. The process of shaping raw ingredients into something palatable — and the events that surround this endeavour — can lead to all kinds of unforgettable moments: kitchen disasters, severed digits, epic struggles with newfangled culinary gadgets and, sometimes, personal triumphs. So why not ask some of the city’s top chefs for their most memorable recipes? Why not, indeed? No, really — that’s what we did, and will continue to do weekly.

This week, we asked Mike Angeloni, chef at L’Unita, to share his breakthrough recipe with us. As an alum of The Hoof Café and Splendido, Angeloni has spent time in a number of kitchens here in Toronto, and recently won a “Top 30 under 30” award from the Ontario Hostelry Institute. Herewith, Angeloni — who outs himself as a real nonna’s boy — shares one of his favourite pasta dishes.

Says Angeloni:

“Making pasta takes me back to my childhood, when my cousins and I were shipped off to nonna Angeloni’s in Etobicoke to prepare Sunday family dinner. I still remember those days; we were like a little army down in that basement, and I, being the youngest, was the source of entertainment for the others.

The pastas, the meats, the smells — the whole experience was just amazing! I still love making pasta, and at L’Unita, I have five different pastas on the menu every night — all of which are made in-house every day.

Love letters, the recipe I’m sharing with you, were among the many types of pasta we used to make back when I worked at The Hoof Café. When I cook, I love to use everything I can from an ingredient — whether meat, vegetable or even ends and scraps. Things that most people would normally just throw away. It’s a great way to use your creativity and have some fun with no worries about wasting expensive ingredients. 

The love letters were developed because we just had too many beef tongue scraps. The now-famous beef tongue sandwich at The Black Hoof was selling like crazy, and with that, we were sitting on a lot of trim. One day Geoff Hopgood (former chef of The Hoof Café, now owner and chef of Hopgood’s Foodliner) came to me and said that we need to find a way to use all of this tongue.

I remembered back to my days at Splendido, where I worked with Maurizio Verga (now chef at F’Amelia, and one of the best pasta makers in the city, in my opinion). Verga had showed me a pasta filling called “cassincelle,” which is made from the ends and leftovers of charcuterie. So Geoff and I set out to figure out this pasta dish, and this is what we came up with. 

I think pasta-making is one of the great arts in cooking, and it’s a nice way to bring your family together. Enjoy!”

Beef tongue love letters

Filling:

1 lb. cooked beef tongue trim
½ lb. cooked smoked pork belly (double smoked bacon works also)
½ lb. salami ends and trim (any kind works. Your local deli should be able to supply you with ends and trim for very little money)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (this may seem like a lot but it’s not)
½ head garlic, sliced thin
1 onion, finely diced
2 sprigs rosemary1 cup white wine 
½ cup golden raisins
2 handfuls rocket, finely chopped
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
1-2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 lemons, zested
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste 

Pasta dough:
400 g. o’o pasta flour
100 g. semolina 
230 g. egg yolks 
1 whole egg
5 g. salt
Water, as needed

Sauce:
3 tbsp. butter (unsalted)
½ lemon, juiced
1 parsnip, peeled and thinly sliced
1 handful dandelion greens, washed and picked
1 tbsp. honey
1 chunk pecorino romano 

Directions:

1. First, in a large mixing bowl or on a clean counter combine the flour, semolina and salt and create a well in the center. Mix the egg and yolks lightly, beat them together, and pour into the center. Now using your hands, slowly incorporate the flour. As you are doing this, you may notice that the dough is too dry; in this case, add a little water, but be careful however not to add to much. Once dough comes together, begin to knead it until a smooth ball is formed, then transfer to a plastic bag or a bowl cover with a damp towel. Leave to rest for at least one hour.
2. To make the filling, first place the olive oil in a pot and heat over a medium-low heat, then add the onions. Sweat the onions on low, ensuring there is no color (approximately five to ten minutes). Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and rosemary and continue to cook for a further five minutes. Now that the garlic has cooked, add the wine (be careful: it will splatter up a touch), turn the heat up, add the raisins, and let the mixture boil for five minutes. Remove the rosemary, and pour the mixture into a dish and place in the fridge to cool.
3. While the filling mixture is cooling, grind all of the meats through the large size die on a meat grinder. Prep all of the remaining ingredients and add to the meat mix. By this point, the onion mixture should be cool, and you can also add this to the meat mixture. Now put some gloves on, or, if you don’t mind getting a bit dirty, just give your hands a good wash and start mixing. Grab a little of the mix and give it a taste-check for seasoning. If you’re happy with the flavour, then you’re ready to start stuffing some pasta.
4. Now, using a pasta machine, roll the dough down slow, working through the machine until you are happy with the width and texture of the dough, then begin to roll it down with the lowest setting on your machine. Using a knife, cut the dough into rectangles 3.5 by 4 inches (they should be very rustic). Now take a big heaping tablespoon of the filling, place in the center, and dampen the edges with water and fold over into a triangle. Place on a tray dusted with some semolina.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and heavily season with salt. In a large frying pan place 2 tablespoons of butter on high heat and let the butter brown. Add the lemon juice to halt the browning. Add five of the pastas into the boiling water. Add about five tablespoons of the pasta water to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the parsnip. By now, the pasta should be cooked. Add it to the pan as well the greens and honey and swirl in the remaining butter. Taste for seasoning.
6. Now, place the letters on a plate, then add the parsnips, greens and finally drizzle the brown butter around the plate. Finish with coarsely grated pecorino and eat!