More Ravioli!

As I pointed out last week, Italians have been making ravioli and other kinds of stuffed pasta for hundreds of years; the variety is amazing and every region has some sort of specialty. Here are several more, beginning with a request from Charles Plant.

Agnolotti di Aragosta e Scampi - Agnelotti with Spiny Lobster and Shrimp

This is an elegant recipe drawn from Luigino Bruni's Le Ricette di Sua Maestà il Ravioli, a wonderful book published a few years ago by Agricola Slow Food Editore, an organization dedicated to fighting the inroads made by American-style fast food joints. Mr. Bruni cautions to check salt, as the filling tends to be sweet (as does lobster), and suggests that you might want to add more shelled shrimp to the sauce (after you've removed what goes into the filling, increasing the volume of liquid to compensate for the added volume of the dish), or possibly substitute parsley for onion grass. He also advises against grated Parmigiano at the table (it will clash with the fish); should you wish a little something extra, dot the pasta with shavings of unsalted butter before you serve it.

• 2 1/4 pounds scampi (or more, see above)
• 1 spiny lobster, weighing close to 2 pounds (If it is alive, plunge it in boiling water, cover, and simmer 5 minutes from when the water begins boiling again, then drain it.)
• 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and blended
• A small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 6-inch celery ribs, minced
• 1/3 cup minced parsley
• 1 large boiled potato (about a half pound)
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano
• A 1/4 pound slice pork belly (the cut that becomes bacon, which is available in oriental markets)
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup cognac, divided into two portions
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• A bunch of onion grass (or parsley if need be), minced
• 3/4 pound fresh pasta sheets, or make your own from:
• 3 cups flour
• 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks
• A pinch of salt
• A little white wine

Cut the shrimp and the lobster in half lengthwise, wash the head areas well and remove the guts. Extract the meat from the shells and set it aside. Use shears to chop the heads, shells and spines into pieces, and set them in a large pot with the olive oil, pork belly, celery and minced onion. Sauté for a few minutes over a brisk flame, then stir in one of the portions of cognac and light it. When the flames go out stir in the white wine, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the blended tomatoes. Continue cooking over a brisk flame for several more minutes, and then strain the sauce to remove the solids.

Return the strained sauce to the pot and add the shrimp and lobster meat. Stir in the remaining cognac, and the minced parsley and garlic. If the sauce looks too dry stir in a little hot water, and simmer everything over low heat for five minutes. Remove the shellfish with a slotted spoon, draining the pieces well, and mince them. Mash the boiled potato with a fork and add it to the minced shellfish, together with the three eggs and the Parmigiano.

Cover the filling and set about making the pasta. Once it is ready divide it into two pieces. Roll one out till it’s as thin as a dime, keeping it as square as possible. Dot it with teaspoons of the filling (about 3/4 of an inch apart), and roll the second sheet out to the same size as the first. Lay the second sheet over the first, tamp down around the blebs of filling to make sure the sheets stick together, and cut the agnelotti free with a serrated pasta wheel.

Boil the agnelotti in lightly salted for two to three minutes (they should still be al dente). Drain them, slide them into the sauce pot, and cook them until done (about a minute) over high heat, turning them gently. Transfer them to a warmed serving dish, dust them with a couple tablespoons of the minced onion grass, and serve.

The wine? I'd say a good Soave, for example Umberto Portinari's, or perhaps a Fiano, for example Mastroberardino's.

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Ravioli di Astice in Salsa di Radicchio -- Lobster Ravioli in a Radicchio Sauce

This recipe is drawn from a little book on Radicchio entitled Il Radicchio Rosso di Treviso.

To serve 4 you'll need

For the filling

1 lobster, weighing about 2 pounds

The juice of a small lemon (or half a large one)

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

Olive oil

1/2 pound red radicchio di Treviso, washed, lightly oiled, and seared on a grill until cooked but not burnt (you can use a lightly oiled griddle if need be, or a broiler).

Dry white wine

For the pasta

A whole egg plus two yolks

Water

1 cup flour

3/4 cup fine-grained semolina

For the sauce

1/2 pound red radicchio di Treviso, washed and coarsely shredded

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish (optional)

Begin by preparing the pasta (you can also buy several sheets of ready-made fresh pasta if you prefer) from the yolks, egg, flour, semolina, a tablespoon of olive oil, and just a little water, following the instructions given for home made pasta.

Wrap the finished dough in a moist cloth and let it rest for an hour.

In the meantime, boil the lobster for five minutes, then remove and shell it (or them), and chop the meat. Chop the grilled radicchio too, and combine it with the lobster, seasoning the mixture with a tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, a light sprinkling of white wine, and salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (go easy on the peppers).

Make a simple radicchio sauce by melting the butter in a skillet, and sautéing the radicchio until it is thoroughly wilted, then seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste. Set it aside in a warm place.

Divide the pasta into two equal portions and roll one out till it's almost paper thin. Distribute the filling in teaspoon-sized mounds about an inch apart, then roll out the other piece to a sheet the same size as the first. Lay the second sheet over the first, tamp the sheets down well so they stick to each other, and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pasta wheel. Simmer them for 3-4 minutes in lightly salted boiling water, and serve them with the radicchio sauce, garnishing with parsley if you like.

The wine? A Soave would be nice.

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Ravioli di Trota - Trout Ravioli

This is a Lombard dish, drawn from Alessandro Pradelli's La Cucina Lombarda.

To serve 6 you will need:

For the pasta

5 cups flour

4 eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

For the filling:

The fillets of 3 trout (you can also use other fish if need be)

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced parsley

The juice of a lemon

2/3 cup dry white wine

Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste

For the sauce

2/3 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced parsley

3 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and broken up (by hand)

An anchovy fillet, boned and shredded

1 teaspoon each (or to taste) minced fresh thyme and marjoram (or 1/2 teaspoon each dried)

1/3 cup cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Begin by making the pasta (you can also purchase 1 1/4 pounds of freshly made pasta). When it's ready cover it with a moist cloth and let it sit for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, sauté the trout fillets in the oil, together with the parsley and the lemon juice, seasoning the mixture to taste. Assuming they're a half-inch thick the fillets should be done in about 5 minutes (turn them once); sprinkle them with the wine, let the liquid evaporate for a few minutes, then put everything through a wire strainer.

Divide the pasta into two equal portions and roll one out to the thinness of a dime. Dot the sheet with balls of filling at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Roll out the second sheet to the same size as the first, tamp the sheet down so it sticks well to the one underneath, and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pastry wheel. Transfer the ravioli to a well-floured surface while you prepare the sauce and bring the pasta water to a boil.

Mince the clove of garlic and sauté it with the anchovy filet, parsley, and tomatoes. After a few minutes season the sauce with the marjoram and thyme, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook for a couple more minutes, then stir in the cream and reduce the heat to a bare simmer. In the meantime salt the pasta water and cook the ravioli for a couple of minutes, then carefully drain them, season them with the sauce, and serve.

The wine? A white from Franciacorta would be nice. Or, if you're feeling adventuresome, a good Bardolino, for example Gianni Piccoli's.

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Calzoncelli di Ricotta -- Ricotta Calzoncelli

This is from the Murge, the wild high plains inland of Bari, in Puglia; the recipe is drawn from L'Alta Murgia. Ricette Tradizionali.

To serve 4 you'll need:

For the pasta

1 pound less 1/4 cup fine-grained semolina

4 eggs

Warm water

For the filling

1 1/4 pounds well-drained fresh ricotta

4-5 egg yolks

The zest of a lemon, grated

3 tablespoons sugar

Meat Sauce (see below)

Grated Pecorino

Prepare the pasta (you can also purchase several sheets of ready-made fresh pasta).

Put the ricotta through a strainer and mix the other ingredients into it. Roll the pasta out into a very thin sheet, and use a glass or round cookie cutter to cut out about 50 disks. Put a spoon full of the filling in each, and fold them over, tamping the edges well to be sure they stick.

Boil the pasta in lightly slated water for three minutes, drain it, season it with meat sauce and a dusting of grated pecorino. The wine? A light red, for example Rivera's Aglianico Rosso or Rupicolo di Rivera Castel del Monte.

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To close, a simple Puglian Ragú, also drawn from L'Alta Murgia.

Orecchiette al Ragú - Orecchiette with Meat Sauce

Though the recipe calls for orecchiette, the sauce will also work well with the calzoncelli presented above.

To serve 4 you will need:

• 1 pound orecchiette ( a Puglian specialty available from mail order houses, otherwise use short pasta such as penne or ziti)
• 1 pound meat ( a mixture, including a few ounces veal stew meat, a mild pork sausage, a pork chop, some lamb chunks, pork belly, and beef cutlets -- in other words, what's on hand and flavorful)
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 quart tomato sauce (you'll want either home made or commercial without herbs added)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• Grated pecorino

Finely slice the onion and sauté it until it begins to turn golden in the oil. Add the meat and continue cooking, stirring, until the meat has browned. Stir in the wine and let it evaporate over a low flame, then add the tomato sauce and simmer gently for two hours. Check seasoning much of the way through, and after two hours boil lightly salted water for pasta, cook the pasta, season it with the sauce, and serve it with grated pecorino on the side.

The wine? Again, a light red; Rivera's Aglianico Rosso and Rupicolo di Rivera Castel del Monte come to mind, as do the D'Angelo and Paternostro Aglianico del Vulture (the vino d'annata, not the riserva).

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Other stuffed pasta recipes on this site:

Tortelli di Patata

Made with a potato filling and served with rich meat sauce, one of the standard first courses at fairs and festivals.

Ravioli di Patata Americana

Stuart Borken's variation on butternut squash-filled ravioli involves sweet potatoes. And looks quite good.

Fazzoletti

Leonard Bibbo's Handkerchiefs, an easy-to-make stuffed pasta that's destined to become a standby.

A Collection

Cappelletti, tortellini (for soup and to serve dry), ravioli, with and without pasta wrappers and how to make pasta dough.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

These recipes were drawn from a variety of sources, as indicated above. Translations & photos © Kyle Phillips.