Plin Stories

Agnolotti del Plin are a traditional dish from Piedmont and one of those recipes that have been passed down through generations in my family. My father's grandfather was from Piedmont and he was the one who passed the recipe on to my parental grandmother, who in turn passed it on to my father. You might be wondering what this has to do with Valentine's Day? Well, this homemade pasta filled with roasted meat spreads love, care and patience. Although it is usually a holiday season, I think it is appropriate for Valentine's Day - at least for the passion, attention and hard work this recipe requires, which is similar to that in a relationship. Agnolotti del Plin are fresh pasta filled with leftover roasted meat (veal, pork and rabbit). Plin is the name from the local dialect and means to pinch the side of the agnolotti to seal its contents. It is important to understand the concept of using leftovers, a method used in the past with the goal of not wasting food but creating an even juicier recipe. For this reason, there is no single recipe for agnolotti del plin; it all depends on what is left over: while meat is the main ingredient, some families add some cabbage or spinach, while others add cheese. In general, the filling must be very simple, because remember that this recipe is made with what is left over, so there is no sophistication in the choice of ingredients.

Alicia has had it. She packs her bags and gets the heck out of her adoptive parents house. Yes, dear readers, our Alicia has run away. To a zoo. Woodland Park Zoo (located in Ballard, Washington) is a place Alicia has always wanted to go. She studied the animals whenever she had time (which was not very often) in Portland, but she needed new scenery. Once she gets to the zoo, she begins to take long detailed notes on the animals there, and then compares them to how wild, uncaptive animals behave. She arived at the perfect time. The day after she got there, she overhears a couple of zookeepers talking. They spoke of a new mammal that has been discovered, and it's coming to the zoo! Alicia is overjoyed. A new animal to study? Fantastic! But what is the mammal is afraid of people? Deathly afraid? And what if this new species is for some reason endangered? Can Alicia help? How can she, though, if she's a stowaway?