Ingredients
Serves 6-81 kg Fresh Pasta Dough
Freshly grated parmesan to serve
Veal stuffing
2 tablespoons olive oil
800 g veal or yearling beef girello
100 g butter
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 anchovy fillet
250 ml port or red wine
½ cup basil leaves
1.5 litres Tomato passata
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
60 g parmesan, grated
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh Pasta Dough
6 eggs (58 g each)
8 egg yolks (from 58 g eggs)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
800 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
Method
I grew up on veal ravioli, as it was one of my Nonna’s specialties. It always featured on the dinner table at Christmas Day. You definitely need a lot of time to make it – Nonna used to take all day making the veal stuffing and homemade pasta.
You can roll the pasta out by hand, but I really recommend buying a pasta machine. They are inexpensive and easy to use, and they last a lifetime.
This recipe make around eighty to ninety pieces of ravioli, enough to serve six to eight people as a main course. If you don’t eat veal, you can make this with yearling beef or pork instead.
To Make Fresh Pasta
1. Combine the eggs and yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk together lightly.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a mound on a large work surface. Form a wide, deep well in the centre and carefully pour in the eggs.
3. Use a fork to gradually work in the flour into the eggs, being careful not to let the eggs spill out.
4. When enough flour has been incorporated into the eggs that they hold shape, use your hands to work in all the remaining flour to form a dough.
5. Scrape the work surface clean and wash and dry your hands. Place the dough on the clean surface and knead it firmly but without too heavy a hand. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour if it feels very sticky, but don’t allow it to become dry.
5. Knead steadily for 5-6 minutes, turning regularly, or until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
7. When ready to roll, divide the dough into quarters and shape each piece into a flat rectangle.
8. Working with one piece at a time, pass it through the widest setting on the pasta machine, then turn it ninety degrees and pass it through again.
9. Decrease the setting by a notch and pass the dough through twice (without turning). Continue to roll the dough through the machine once on each following setting until you reach the desired thickness. For cut pastas, such as the fettucine or linguine, finish one notch before the final setting. For stuffed pastas such as ravioli, work through to the thinnest setting.
10. Roll the sheets through the cutters to create your desired pasta. Or if using the dough for stuffed pasta, proceed immediately without letting the dough dry out. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water.
Makes 1 kg
Veal Ravioli
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and brown the piece of veal all over. Transfer to a plate. Melt the butter in the pan, then add the onion, garlic and anchovy and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft but not coloured. Increase the heat and stir in the port. Let it bubble vigorously for a few minutes, then stir in the basil and tomato passata. Return the veal to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, uncovered until the veal is very tender. The sauce will become very thick and intense in flavour, but if it seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water. When cooked, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
When cool, remove the veal from the sauce and cut into thin slices. Reserve the sauce for serving with the ravioli. Put the veal into a food processor with the parsley and parmesan and blend to a fairly smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Roll the pasta dough, finishing with very thin sheets. Cut them in long strips about 5cm wide. Place spoonfuls of the filing along a pasta strip about 4cm apart. Brush around the fillings with a little water and cover with another pasta strip. Press gently around the fillings to remove any air and seal. Cut into ravioli with a cutting wheel or a sharp knife. Continue making ravioli until you have used all the dough and filing.
The ravioli should be cooked straight away (or frozen on trays lined with baking paper). Cook in a pot of boiling salted water for 6-8 minutes, or until the ravioli rise to the top of the water. Serve with warmed tomato sauce and extra parmesan.