Ravioli Panteschi
Ravioli Panteschi
Mint and Ricotta Ravioli
Half-moon-shaped ravioli are typical of Pantelleria, where wild mint grows and makes its way into many pasta recipes, including the filling of these ravioli. They are served with a simple tomato sauce called sugo povero (see page 68). To avoid dampening the pasta too much once it is filled, make sure to strain the ricotta before making the filling.
Ingredients (7)
Ingredients (7)
For the pasta
For the filling
Instructions
Make the pasta: Pour the “OO” flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs to the well, then mix with a fork, working from the edges of the well into the center, gradually incorporating the flour into the egg to form a shaggy dough. The dough should feel tacky but not sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry work surface, then knead the dough energetically until it is a smooth, compact mass, 10 minutes.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Pour the ricotta into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and let stand for about 30 minutes to allow excess liquid to drain off.
Transfer the drained ricotta to a medium bowl and stir in the pecorino, mint, and salt. Transfer to a pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator.
If you’re using a pasta machine to roll out the dough, unwrap the dough and cut it into four pieces. Lightly dust the first piece and cover the others. Feed it through the widest gauge of your pasta machine. Fold the rolled dough in half and pass it through the widest gauge again. Dust the dough if it starts getting sticky.
Decrease the gauge on the pasta machine by one increment before feeding the dough through again. Continue feeding the pasta through, successively narrowing the gauge until the sheet of pasta is 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.
If you’re rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, unwrap it, halve it, and transfer one piece to a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Cover the other half. Flatten the dough out into a round disk and picture the numbers on a clock around the edge.
Working from the center to the edges, push forward and roll the dough at 12 o’clock, 11, 1, 10, and 2. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat until the dough is 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Lay the sheet of pasta dough on your work surface. Using a cookie cutter or the rim of a water glass, cut the dough into 2½-inch disks. If your climate is super dry, cover the pasta with a lightly moistened clean kitchen towel after you roll it out while you fill and seal it.
Pipe or spoon about 1 teaspoon of the filling into the center of each round of dough.
Working with one piece at a time, pick up the pasta with one hand, brush the edges with water, then fold the pasta in half and pinch the edge closed.
Set aside on a baking sheet dusted with semolina. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Set aside to dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for about an hour.
When you’re ready to cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Salt the water until it tastes like a seasoned soup.
Add the ravioli and cook until they have lost their raw flavor, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain the pasta and carefully transfer to a pan with sugo povero (see page 68), a light burro e salvia sauce (see page 85), or the sauce of your choosing.
Notes
Notes
To make pasta all’uovo for pasta e ceci estiva (see page 94), make the dough as directed on the right and roll it out into a pasta sheet with a pasta machine or by hand. Cut the pasta sheet into 2-inch diamonds and set aside on a clean, dry wooden surface for about an hour to dry slightly before adding the pasta to the simmering pot of chickpeas.
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
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