Egg Stuffed Ravioli Food

RAVIOLO AL' UOVO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt.
• Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"--the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it).
• Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a fluted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to simmer (RTS).
• Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, carefully transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan with butter and chicken stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug.
• Transfer the ravioli to serving plates, spoon a little extra sauce over each one, and finish with a sprinkey-dink of grated Parm. Repeat with the remaining ravioli.
• Mound the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a big hole (called a well) in the center of the flour pile--bigger is definitely better here. Crack the eggs into the hole along with the extra yolk, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water, and salt and begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Be careful not to break the well or the egg mixture will run everywhere and you'll have a big fat mess on your hands (and your board). When enough flour is incorporated that you can handle the dough, use your hands to combine everything really well. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands a bit. When the mixture is homogeneous, start kneading...
• To knead the dough, it's VERY important to put your body weight into it, to get on top of the dough, and really stretch it. Be careful not to tear it--the idea is that you stretch the dough, not rip it. Use the heels of your palms and roll the mixture over itself. When it's done it should be smooth, supple, and velvety and look like the head of a preemie Cabbage Patch Doll. Kneading will take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how experienced you are. (Don't hold back: This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and work it!)
• When the pasta is ready, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least an hour at room temperature before rolling. If you're making the dough ahead of time, wrap, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before using.
• To roll out the pasta, you need to run the dough through the pasta roller a bunch of times to get it long and thin. To start, cut off about a quarter of the dough (remember, the bigger the piece you start with, the longer your dough is going to get), keeping the rest wrapped up so it doesn't dry out. Squish the dough to flatten it--this will help it run through the pasta roller more easily. Where do we start? We start at the beginning! Run the dough through the pasta roller starting on the widest setting, number 1. Then dust the dough with flour, fold it into thirds, and put the dough through this setting two more times. If the dough ever feels sticky or tacky, give it a little dusting of flour. Now adjust the setting to number 2 and repeat the process again--changing the setting each time until your dough is the desired thickness. Once the dough is rolled out, be sure to keep the pasta sheets covered so they don't dry out. Depending on what I want to use the pasta for, I usually stop around number 5 or 6. For long noodles, I keep it thicker, and for ravioli or stuffed pasta, I keep it thinner. All pasta machines are different, so you need to judge how your pasta machine works and adjust your rolling accordingly. Once you get the thickness you want, repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough.

EGG YOLK- AND RICOTTA-FILLED RAVIOLI RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine all the dough ingredients and mix until the dough comes together, then transfer to a clean work surface and knead, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide into 2 pieces and shape each into a disk. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden and fat has rendered, 6 minutes. Add the chile paste and garlic, and cook until caramelized and fragrant, 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and sugar, and bring to a light simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 minutes. Season with salt, then set aside.
• While the sauce simmers, make the filling: In a food processor, combine all the filling ingredients, except for the 8 egg yolks, and purée until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and chill until ready to use.
• Using a pasta roller, roll out half of the dough, using flour as needed, into a ⅙-inch-thick sheet. Repeat with the other half of dough. Cut each sheet in half, crosswise.
• Lay 1 sheet of dough on a lightly floured work surface. With 5 inches in between, pipe four 3-inch circles of filling, leaving a ½-inch hole in the center. Nestle an egg yolk in each circle of filling. Using a small bowl of water and a pastry brush, brush a little water on the dough around each circle of filling.
• Place another sheet of dough over this one and, using your fingers, press the dough to seal the ricotta and egg yolk inside. Once the 4 pockets of filling are sealed, use a 4⅛-inch round cutter to cut out each raviolo. Place on a lightly floured tray.
• Repeat this process with the remaining 2 sheets of dough.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the ravioli in and cook until the pasta is tender but the yolks are still runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the tomato sauce over medium heat.
• To plate, spoon the sauce across a platter. Place the cooked ravioli on top. Garnish with a drizzle of oil, freshly grated Parmesan and basil, then serve.

SPINACH-AND-CHEESE-RAVIOLI EGG BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of a nonstick 5-by-9-inch loaf pan with oil. Scatter pasta and tomatoes evenly in bottom of pan. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and 1/4 cup cheese; season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into pan. Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together panko, oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle panko mixture over egg mixture. Continue baking until puffed and golden brown on top and set in center, about 30 minutes more (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil). Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan; invert egg bake onto a cutting board to remove from pan, then turn top-side up. Slice and serve, with relish and sliced vegetables.