If you have been following my recipes over the past few weeks I hope you're now comfortable using a pasta machine, and don't need me to remind you how much better fresh pasta tastes compared to the shop-bought variety.
Once you've mastered the art of making good dough it's a question of technique using the pasta machine. Here are a few pointers.
- After it's been refrigerated, let the dough come to room temperature before working with it, then start rolling out the dough with a rolling pin before using the machine. This puts less stress on the machine and the pasta therefore passes through the rollers with ease.
- Dust the work surface with the bare minimum of pasta flour - use too much and you will dry out the dough.
- Roll out a long sheet of pasta as thinly as possible then cut out the ravioli discs and keep them in a folded-over dish towel until ready to use - this prevents them drying out.
Partridge ravioli with buttered cabbage and truffle cream
Serves 4
30g unsalted butter
Half a clove of garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
70g white button mushrooms, finely chopped
60ml double cream
4 skinless partridge breasts
Half tsp fresh chopped tarragon
Melt the butter in a wide pan over a low heat and gently cook the garlic and shallot for 2 minutes without colouring. Next, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring.
Pour the cream into the pan and cook until the cream has thickened and the mushrooms have become a coarse spreadable paste, then transfer the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool.
Using a large knife, cut the partridge breasts into 1cm dice and add to the mushrooms with the tarragon. Mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper.
Pasta (makes 250g)
Half a beaten egg
2 large egg yolks
240g 00 pasta flour
A pinch of salt
50ml water
1tbsp olive oil
Crack the egg into a bowl with the yolks, beat together with a whisk and set aside.
Put the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on a very low speed, then slowly add the eggs and beat to a smooth dough. Add the water and olive oil, turn up the speed slightly and beat until the dough becomes smooth and even (this should take 2-3 minutes). Divide the pasta into four even pieces, wrap them in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preparing the ravioli
Roll out a fine sheet of pasta and cut out 12 discs measuring 8-10cm wide. Place a large teaspoonful of the partridge mix in the centre, brush the edge of the pasta with a little water and fold over to form an air-tight parcel. Place the ravioli on a tray lined with a lightly floured sheet of greaseproof paper. Place the tray in the fridge until ready to cook.
Truffle cream sauce
20g unsalted butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced
100ml madeira
150ml chicken stock
125ml double cream
1tbsp finely chopped tinned truffle
Truffle oil
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and gently cook the shallot for 1 minute. Add the madeira, turn up the heat to high and reduce it to a glaze. Next, add the chicken stock and reduce it by half, then add the cream and bring the sauce to the boil for 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan, add the truffle peelings and a few drops of truffle oil and season with a little salt.
Buttered cabbage with sage
150g cabbage leaves, picked and washed
50ml fresh chicken stock
Half a clove of garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
25g unsalted butter
4 large fresh sage leaves
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the cabbage and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain the cabbage in a colander and set aside.
Pour the stock into a wide saucepan, add the garlic, butter and a pinch of salt then bring it rapidly to the boil and whisk until emulsified. Allow the stock to reduce by half so it starts to thicken.
Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage then add it to the pan and gently warm in the stock for 2-3 minutes.
Finely chop the sage leaves and add them to the cabbage then place the pan aside in a warm place.
To serve
Cook the ravioli in salted boiling water for 2 minutes while warming the cabbage and the truffle cream sauce. Place a little of the cabbage in the centre of each plate with a raviolo and spoon a little sauce over the pasta.
WINE MATCH
2011 Qupe, Marsanne, Ibarra Young Vineyard, USA (Wood-Winters, £17)
A delicious blend of marsanne and roussanne with a robust structure, ample mineral notes and a floral character.
The Honours, 58a North Castle Street, Edinburgh. Visit thehonours.co.uk or call 0131 220 2513.
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