Raviolo Al Uovo Recipes

RAVIOLO AL UOVO

Steps:

• Cover the porcinis with hot or room temp water and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon before dicing into small pieces.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Toss the chanterelles with olive oil and season with salt. Put on a sheet tray and roast in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Reserve for garnish.
• To a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the guanciale and render until crispy. Transfer the guanciale with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate. To the guanciale fat in the pan, add the sage leaves and fry until crispy, about 30 seconds. Season the sage leaves with salt. Crumble the sage and set aside. Reserve the guanciale and sage for garnish.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley, 2 whole eggs and the diced porcinis; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out 2 sheets (at least 12 inches long) of the rolled Chef Anne's All-Purpose Pasta Dough; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet, then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining 8 eggs one at a time and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest" the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover each sheet of ricotta "nests" and egg yolks with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt 1/2 stick of the butter and add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); add a sage sprig and season with salt. Bring this to boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, no more. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with the butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug. Repeat with the remaining 4 ravioli, using the remaining 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup chicken stock and 1 sprig sage to make the sauce.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, 1 per plate. Spoon a little extra sauce over each one and finish with a sprinkey-dink of the grated Parm, guanciale, chanterelles and fried sage.
• Put the flour on a clean dry work surface. Make a hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide (bigger is definitely better here). Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, water and salt.
• Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over your board and you will have a big mess! Also, don't worry about the lumps. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place when the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands. When the mixture has really come together to a homogeneous mixture, THEN you can start kneading.
• When kneading, it is VERY important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to really stretch it and not to tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooooooth, supple dough. When done, the dough should look VERY smooth and feel almost velvety. Kneading will usually take from 8 to 10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10 to 15 for an inexperienced kneader. Put your body weight into it, you need to knead! This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and have fun! When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If using immediately after that, do not refrigerate.
• Roll and cut the pasta into the desired shape. How smooth and supple!

EGG YOLK PASTA (UOVA DA RAVIOLO) WITH CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• Place cilantro leaves, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, toasted almonds, yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until mixture becomes a paste-like pesto, 6 or 7 pulses.
• Mix all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour together in a bowl. Mound flour on a work surface such as a large wooden cutting board. Create a well in the center of the flour; add 4 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil into the middle of the well. Beat the eggs and olive oil and gradually begin incorporating the flour a little at a time using a fork, lifting flour up from the sides until most of the flour is incorporated into the eggs. Shape into a ball. Knead dough until it is elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding additional flour if it is too sticky.
• Roll dough out into a large rectangle about 1/16 inch thick. Cut into 8 6x6-inch squares.
• Mix ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheeses together in a small mixing bowl. Transfer to a piping bag or plastic bag (cut a small piece off a corner of the bag). Pipe a small circle of cheese mixture large enough to hold an egg yolk in the middle of 4 of the dough squares. Place an egg yolk in the center of each circle.
• Mix 1 egg white and 2 teaspoons water together in a small bowl. Brush egg wash on edges of the pasta squares outside the egg yolk circle. Carefully place remaining 4 pasta squares on the egg yolks. Gently seal edges and try to eliminate any air pockets. Use a 6-inch round cookie cutter to remove the corners of the squares. Press edges of ravioli with tines of a fork to strengthen the seal.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil; reduce heat to medium-high so water is just simmering. Carefully transfer ravioli to water; gently stir. Cook until pasta is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on 4 warm serving plates. Serve topped with a spoonful of pesto.

RAVIOLO AL'UOVO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley, and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"-the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large sauté pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining butter, stock, sage, and ravioli.
• Save the leftover egg whites for another purpose. You can even freeze them if you like.