Description
As we can see, ravioli - pasta encasing any filling - has been made for a long, long time. It's up to you to discover if this one is to your taste - it wasn't to mine!
Ingredients
For the pasta dough
400g/14¼oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp rosewater
50g/2oz butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
water, to make a dough
For the filling
200g/7oz capon breast, poached in a stock of water with 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick; reserve the cooking liquor
70g/2¾oz sweetbreads, trimmed and chopped
50g/2oz cooked bone marrow
60g/2½oz duck fat
100g/3½oz sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch saffron powder
20g/¾oz ground cinnamon
2 tsp each grated nutmeg and ground cloves
100g/3½oz pecorino cheese, grated
50g/2oz small Corinth raisins
1 tbsp each freshly chopped mint and marjoram
2 free-range egg yolks
Method
1. For the pasta dough, place the flour into a large bowl and add the rosewater, butter, salt and sugar and enough water to make a dough - the consistency should be almost like shortcrust pastry. This recipe doesn't use egg in the dough.
2. For the filling, grind the boiled capon breast to a pulp in a large pestle and mortar. Stir in the sweetbreads, cooked bone marrow and duck fat.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Roll the pasta out as thinly as possible on a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Place teaspoonfuls of the filling mixture about 1cm/½in apart on one of the sheets of pasta.
5. Cover with the other sheet of pasta, pressing down gently around the mounds of filling to squeeze out the air pockets. Cut into squares around the filling using a pastry wheel.
6. Place the reserved capon cooking liquor into a large pan and bring to the boil. Cook the ravioli in the cooking liquor for about 5-6 minutes, or until cooked through.
7. To serve, divide the ravioli among eight serving bowls, spooning a little of the cooking liquor into each bowl.
