Our Ewe’s Milk Ricotta & Lemon Ravioli with Emilian Tomato Sauce highlights the rich traditions of Abruzzo, renowned for its sheep farming and exceptional ewe’s milk ricotta.
Ewe’s Milk Ricotta & Lemon Ravioli with Emilian Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Filling
- 400g Ewe's milk ricotta or good quality cow’s milk ricotta
- 75g grated Parmesan
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Small handful of basil
- Salt – To taste
Pasta Dough
- 400g 00 flour
- 180g whole eggs – whisked
Tomato Sauce
- 1 carrot – finely chopped
- 1 onion – finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – chopped
- 400g good quality tinned tomatoes
- 100ml white wine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt – To taste
Method
- Make the Pasta Dough:
Place the flour in a food processor. Turn it on, and pour in the whisked eggs. Continue blending until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl, bring it together, and flatten it out to 1cm thick. Wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
- Make the Filling:
Add all the filling ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Make the Tomato Sauce: Fry the onion, garlic, and carrot in olive oil until sweet and translucent. Add the tinned tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes on low heat. Once reduced, season to taste, then blitz the sauce with a stick blender or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the Ravioli:
Roll out the pasta dough to 1mm thickness. Cut the sheet in half. Brush one half with egg wash, then evenly place 1 tsp of filling along the center of the sheet, leaving a 4cm gap between each spoonful. Lay the second sheet on top and crimp around the filling, pushing out as much air as possible. Cut around the ravioli with a fluted wheel or ravioli stamp.
- Cook the Pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tsp of salt. Add the ravioli and cook for 3-4 minutes. While cooking, heat the tomato sauce in a frying pan with a little pasta water and bring it to a simmer. Transfer the ravioli to the frying pan and carefully toss with the sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce. Divide between 4 plates and grate over some fresh Parmesan.
