The power of food to be a vehicle for emotions is something I find to be particularly evident when dealing with the masterpiece that is raviolo al-uovo. Imagine ravioli, only giant, singular, and filled with ricotta and a runny egg yoke. The whole experience of making, sharing, and eating this dish satisfies my need to create, connect, and use all of my senses. It’s intriguing. It’s sexy. It’s a labor of love. It’s unforgettable.
I think part of the excitement and intrigue of this dish comes from the fact that it is not taking ravioli to a new level with complex techniques or fancy ingredients. It’s taking ravioli to a new level by reconsidering the form and function of an ingredient that is already there: the egg. It makes total sense, this adaptation: the egg compliments the cheese and pasta perfectly, even predictably (in a, I can’t believe I never thought of this myself! sort of way.) It’s total genius.
My take on this dish tries to keep this same outlook in mind. I made a point of using only the ingredients I already had lying around: flour, egg, cheese, herbs, spices, lemon, garlic. I then tried to consider the form and function of these ingredients, and how their potential uses might differ from or expand upon traditional methods.
The Pasta: ~2 cups flour (00 pasta flour is ideal, bread and AP flour work) 2 eggs Note: size of eggs dictates amount of flour needed so I often start with less than 2 cups and work my way up. The Filling: Ricotta pecorino romano salt & pepper nutmeg chives lemon juice Herby Spiced Brown Butter: unsalted butter cooked on medium heat parsley chives nutmeg black pepper whole crushed clove of garlic (remove toward the end and set aside) Pesto-Like Sauce: Basil garlic (used that whole crushed clove that was cooking down in the brown butter!) olive oil salt & pepper pecorino romano scallions chives lemon juice any leftover ricotta filling any leftover cheese (I had the tiniest chunk of provolone left over from some other cooking project Note: When rolling out the pasta, I like to make a single sheet that is as wide as possible. I cut off whatever I don't use for the giant raviolis and use it for making regular raviolis. These, as well as the smaller, weirdly shaped pasta scraps, can be frozen and cooked off at a later date. (pasta sheet scraps can also be turned into bow ties!)
The Artist's Appetite 