I still use my mother-in-law Olivia’s recipe for making fresh pasta. She never salted the dough. She said the pasta naturally absorbs salt from the water as it cooks.
HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH
Ingredients
300g ‘00’ durum wheat flour
2 large eggs and 3 egg yolks
Method
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the eggs and yolks.
Use a dough hook to beat everything together to form a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a floured work surface.
Warp in cling film and set aside for an hour to rest.
RAVIOLI FILLED WITH RICOTTA AND MINT
Ingredients
250g fresh ricotta
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
Grated rind and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
Handful chopped fresh mint
1 egg yolk
Sea salt
Black pepper
Method
Mix all the ingredients together and season well.
You can use a pasta machine, or simply use a cool, floured work surface and a long rolling pin.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
Flatten and fold over to form a small rectangle shape.
Dust in a little four and roll through the pasta machine at the widest setting.
Fold over back into a rectangle shape and feed through the machine 4-5 times, repeating the process until the dough starts to stretch out and feel silky.
Reduce the setting on the machine and roll the folded dough through each of the thinner settings. It will get longer and thinner each time.
The second last setting should be thin enough.
Set aside on a dusted work surface and repeat with the rest of the dough.
TO MAKE THE RAVIOLI
Lay a sheet flat on the work surface.
Staring from the left, put a teaspoon of filling about a third of the way up the side of the pasta. Continue adding teaspoons of filling, about 2 fingers apart.
Once they are all laid out brush the side of the pasta and around the filling with the beaten egg.
Fold the pasta dough over to neatly touch the other side like an envelope and use your fingers to press the dough around each mound of filling to create the ravioli shape.
Use a pasty roller to cut each ravioli out and use your fingers to seal each side.
I often freeze these.
They take
5-6 minutes or so to cook in boiling salted water from frozen, 3-4 if cooked fresh.
SAGE AND BUTTER SAUCE
Ingredients
200g unsalted butter
Grated rind and juice half an unwaxed lemon
10-12 fresh sage leaves
Seasoning
Method
Melt the butter, add the lemon and sage and sauté until the aromas are released.
Toss the cooked ravioli in the butter and serve with grated Parmigiano.
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