IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Salute! Ristorante

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This week we went in the kitchen at Salute! Ristorante, with co-owners Marco Guadagnini and chef Laszlo Bevardi, as Bevardi prepares their signature agnolotti pasta. The agnolotti pasta is a fresh, half-moon pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese in a light cream sauce.

Salute! opened in downtown Sarasota four years ago. The menu features Italian cuisine including fresh, homemade pastas. Guadagnini's family owns a vinyard in Tuscany, Italy, that provides all the fresh olive oil to the restaurant, as well as a selection of seven house wines.

The restaurant also offers a large outdoor patio for dining and live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

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Scroll down for an instructional video on how to prepare the dish.

Agnolotti in cream sauce

Pasta ingredients:
Sheet of fresh pasta 
2 cups mozarella cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, lightly blanched and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten

Cream sauce ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, lightly blanched and chopped
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Pasta stuffing preparation: 
Add mozarella cheese to the bowl. Next, add the ricotta and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste with a dash of nutmeg. Lightly blanch or steam fresh spinach leaves to wilt. Drain water from spinach and chop. Add spinach to mixing bowl and use fork to mash and incorporate the cheese and spinach. Lightly dust working surface with flour and lay out sheet of pasta. Use a round cookie cutter to cut pasta into circles, about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter. Spoon 1 tablespoon of spinach and cheese mixture into the middle of each pasta circle. Lighty beat one egg and brush around all visible edges of each circle. Fold each circle in half and lightly pinch edges together to form a half moon shape. Boil water over high heat. Add pasta and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain water and set aside.

Cream sauce preparation: 
Heat pan over medium high heat. Add heavy cream, then parmesan cheese. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of wilted, chopped spinach. Add salt and white pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes as sauce reduces to desired thickness. Add pasta to pan and mix to coat pasta. Serve immediately while hot.