Ravioli with dried pepper, Pachino tomatoes and Canestrato cheese

Ingrediens

For the fresh homemade pasta:

  • 120 gr plain flour
  • 1 egg

for the filling

  • ricotta cheese 100 gr
  • 3 dried pepper (a typical specialty of Lucania, in the South Italy)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 tbs of grated pecorino cheese

Directions

For the filling

Open the dried pepper and remove the seeds inside. With a cutter, powder the dried pepper and blend with ricotta, pecorino and a pich of salt.

For the fresh homemade pasta

Place the plain flour on a flat surface and make a well in the middle. put egg in the middle of the flour and work flour and eggs with a fork, then start kneading the dough with clammy hand, untilt he dough gets soft, elastic and it doesn’t stick to your fingers anymore. To roll the dough you can use a classic rolling pin or the machine, with the handle or electric. 

The most important thing, either you’re using the rolling pin or the rolling machine, is to work it over and over again, rolling and stretching it as much as you can. Make long thin stripes, 9-10 cm large. Lay them on a floured tablecloth.

Place small spoonfull of filling onto the stripes. Cover them with another pasta stripe and press with your finger all around the filling, to seal it. Cut out ravioli with a cutter, leaving at least 2cm of pasta all around the filling. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt the water and pour a tablespoon of extravirgin olive oil in it: it will help you cooking ravioli, so that they won’t stick to eachother. Place a few ravioli per time into boiling water and after about 5 minutes, when they come afloat, remove them gently with a large pierced spoon and place them in a large pan with the seasoning.

For the seasoning

In a large pan, put 4 olive oil tbs and Pachino tomatoes half cut with a pinch of salt. place ravioli in the pan and then add Canestrato Moliterno cheese (a tipical pecorino cheese) on the ravioli.

About the Author,

Maria Grazia Viscito, alias Caris, 39 anni, ingegnere, di Roma, con una grande passione per il cibo e la fotografia, cucina "per legittima difesa"