Ricotta Raviolini With Melted Tomatoes Recipes

RICOTTA & PARMESAN RAVIOLI

Steps:

• First, make your royal pasta dough, leaving it to rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
• Finely grate 50g of Parmesan and beat with the ricotta, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Spoon into a piping bag and place in the fridge while you roll out your dough. Follow the rolling-out instructions, taking the pasta to 1mm thickness.
• Lay the sheets on a clean surface, then carefully pipe a ring of ricotta about 5cm wide, starting 2.5cm away from the edge of the pasta.
• Separate an egg and carefully drop the yolk into the middle of the ricotta circle - it should fit snugly. Start your next ring of ricotta 5cm away from where your first one ends, then repeat 4 times more.
• Brush the exposed pasta with water and carefully lay the second sheet of pasta over the top.
• Starting at one end, gently press the pasta around the outside of the filling, pushing out the air and sealing the edges. Using a 10cm round cutter, cut out a circle-shaped ravioli with the egg right in the middle.
• Check the edges are sealed - use a little more water to help, if needed. Place the ravioli on a large tray dusted with semolina, making sure they don't touch and continue with the rest.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then reduce the heat to a rolling simmer. Carefully lower in the ravioli, two or three at a time, and cook for 4 minutes, or until they float.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. As soon as it foams, finely grate in the lemon zest and add a squeeze of juice plus a pinch of pepper.
• Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon straight into the butter sauce, adding a splash of pasta water and grating in the remaining Parmesan. Cook the next batch of ravioli, then add to the sauce.
• Dress the frisée with half the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil, tear in the prosciutto, then season with pepper and mix together.
• Divide the ravioli between your plates, arrange the frisée salad around it, then serve with a good grating of Parmesan.

RICOTTA RAVIOLINI WITH MELTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Make the pasta: Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Set the rollers of a hand-crank or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Working with one piece at a time (and keeping the remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap), lightly flour dough and run it through the pasta machine. Fold dough in half and run through machine again.
• Change rollers of pasta machine to next decreasing setting and roll out dough once without folding. Keep rolling sheet through machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through the last (thinnest) setting. Transfer pasta to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough.
• In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, egg yolks, and Parmigiano cheese; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip; set aside.
• Working with one sheet of pasta at a time, lay pasta sheet out lengthwise on a lightly floured work surface. Pipe out filling in center of both top and bottom halves of pasta sheet at 1-inch intervals. Brush around filling with beaten egg. Carefully fold bottom edge of sheet over bottom half of filling toward the middle; gently press around filling to seal and remove any air. Repeat process with top half of pasta sheet. Using a pastry cutter, cut raviolini into 1-inch squares around filling and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; do not stack, as raviolini will stick. Repeat process with remaining sheets of pasta and filling.
• Transfer pasta to freezer and freeze until solid; use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen up to 2 weeks.
• Make the melted tomatoes: Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes; cooking, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook until most of the juice from the tomatoes has been released and reduced; about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in basil. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add frozen raviolini and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid, and add raviolini to skillet with butter. Add reserved cooking liquid and olive oil. Increase heat to medium high and gently toss to combine. Remove from heat and add Parmigiano; toss to combine. Serve immediately topped with melted tomatoes; garnish with more cheese, if desired.

JOE WICKS' RAVIOLI ALLA NAPOLETANA

Steps:

• Pile the flour into a large bowl or a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the well (pop the egg whites in the freezer for making meringues another day). Use a fork to whip up the egg yolks, then gradually bring the flour in from the outside. When it becomes too hard to mix, get your clean floured hands in there and bring it together into a ball of dough. Knead on a flour-dusted surface for around 4 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Wrap in a damp cloth and leave to relax for 30 minutes.
• To make the filling, tear one piece of prosciutto into rough pieces and finely chop the other. Place in a bowl, finely grate in the lemon zest and add a good grating of nutmeg (about ¼), then grate in the Parmesan and crumble in the ricotta. Use a fork to mash everything together and season with black pepper.
• On a clean flour-dusted surface, roll out the pasta dough so it's 1mm thick. Spoon heaped teaspoons of filling every 7cm or so along your sheet of pasta in the very middle. Brush the exposed pasta lightly with water and fold the sheet of pasta in half over the filling.
• Working from one side, gently seal around the filling, pushing out the air. Cut into squares with a knife or roller cutter, or stamp them out with a pastry cutter, placing them on a semolina-dusted tray as you go.
• To make the quick tomato sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic. Place a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the garlic and chilli flakes for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden, then scrunch in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and tear in the basil leaves, reserving a few baby ones for garnish.
• Cook the ravioli in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, or until tender, then drain - you may need to work in batches.
• To make the lemon sauce, melt the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Toss in the cooked ravioli, then grate in the Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of oil and a little starchy cooking water.
• To serve, spoon the tomato sauce onto serving plates, and top with the lemon sauce-coated ravioli. Grate over a little Parmesan and sprinkle with the reserved baby basil leaves, to finish.

CORN AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI WITH SAUTEED CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the corn puree: Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the corn and cook until lightly golden brown, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chile de arbol and season with salt and pepper. Remove 1/2 cup of the kernels to a bowl for the ravioli filling to let cool slightly.
• Transfer the rest of the corn to a small saucepan and cover with the stock. Cook over medium heat until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the corn to a blender with a slotted spoon, add 1/4 cup of the stock and carefully blend until the corn is smooth. Add 1/2 cup more stock to thin it slightly, then transfer the puree to the saute pan. Add more stock, if needed, to bring the puree to a sauce consistency. Stir in the creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• For the ravioli: Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line it with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer and drain for 4 hours.
• Whisk together 3 of the eggs, the yolk and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Put the flour in another bowl, make a well in the center, add the egg mixture in the center and mix the flour into the eggs with a fork until combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Combine the drained ricotta, Parmesan, the reserved sauteed corn and 1 egg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the dough into quarters and roll thinly in a pasta machine to 1/8-inch thickness. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs together with a tablespoon of water. Dust the counter and dough with flour and lay out 2 sheets of the pasta. Brush the top surface of dough with the egg wash. Distribute 1-tablespoon mounds of filling about 2 inches apart on the 2 sheets of dough. Top with the remaining 2 sheets of dough. Using your fingers, gently press out the air pockets around each mound of filling and form a seal. Use a crimper or cookie cutter to cut each ravioli into squares or circles. Check to make sure the crimped edges are well sealed before cooking. If making the ravioli in advance, dust with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking.
• For the sauteed cherry tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and pepper and cook until the juices release and then thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper and stir in the basil.
• For the anchovy breadcrumbs: Heat the oil in a small saute pan over low heat, add the anchovies and cook until they are melted into the oil, about 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and cook until lightly golden brown, then season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli, in batches, until they float, about 2 minutes. Lift the ravioli from the water with a large strainer or slotted spoon and toss in the cherry tomato sauce to coat.
• Ladle some of the corn puree into 4 large shallow bowls. Top with 3 large ravioli in sauce, grate fresh Parmesan over and sprinkle with anchovy breadcrumbs.

BAKED HERB & RICOTTA-STUFFED SPINACH RAVIOLI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of salted wate to a boil and keep handy off to the side. 2. To make the filling, stir together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix in the egg and set aside. 3. To prepare the sauce, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. 4. To assemble the ravioli, place about 2 teaspoons of the filling about 1 1/2 inches apart on a sheet of rolled out dough. Brush the egg wash around the filling. 5. Lay a 2nd pasta sheet on top, and cut around the filling with a ravioli stamp or pastry wheel. Be sure the edges are well sealed; use a dab of water if the dough is not sticking together. Place on a dry towel or a floured sheet tray. 6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 7. Boil the ravioli for about 3 minuts or until just al dente. While the ravioli are cooking spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. 8. Drain the ravioli and pour them into the baking dish. Top them with tomato sauce followed by fontina cheese. 9. Bake until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. 10 to 15 minutes.