Category: Meals

Homely Ravioli

Ingredients:

semolina
shallots
pignoli
olive oil
peas
sea salt
molasses
wine vinegar
split fava beans, cooked
sesame seeds
pesto

Mix two cups of semolina with about three quarters of a cup of water, using just enough to allow the mass to cohere, so that it leaves the sides of the bowl.
With your hands, fold and turn the dough for at least five minutes. The texture will change and become smooth at the same time as the dough becomes elastic. Put it back in the bowl, covered, to rest for half an hour.
Sauté a handful of shallots, peeled and thinly sliced, in a teaspoon of good olive oil until they begin to colour. Add two tablespoons of pignoli. Stir until the pine nuts are hot, and add half a cup of small peas. Stir and sauté for two minutes. Add half a cup of water, half a teaspoon of sea salt, a tablespoon of dark molasses and a tablespoon and a half of wine vinegar, or even a little bit more.* Mash one cup of drained, very well-cooked split fava beans,* along with a tablespoon of their cooking liquid, and add them to the pan. Stir continually, so as to avoid burning the mixture, for two more minutes over medium heat. Add three tablespoons of sesame seeds, freshly ground. Stir over the fire for a moment, then allow the mixture to cool. Check and adjust the seasonings. It will seem much saltier when cooled, so be careful.
Cut your reserved dough in half. Roll out one part on a floured board until it is roughly rectangular, and as thin as you can make it. Dust with flour and set aside. Do the same with the other piece, making it the same size and shape as the first piece.
With a teaspoon, make mounds of filling at intervals on one of the sheets of dough, leaving a width of two fingers or a little less between each mound. Moisten your finger or a small pastry brush with water and brush down the spaces between mounds thouroughly.
Carefully lay the other piece of dough over the first and press down firmly between mounds with the rim of a saucer or the edge of a wooden spoon. Cut the ravioli apart with a small fluted pastry roller or the back of a dinner knife. Fold and pinch the edges to seal them very well.
Bring three or four liters of water to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt, and, away from the fire, add the dumplings to the boiling water one at a time with a slotted spoon. Put the pot back on the burner, and turn the fire down so that the water is just simmering. Let your ravioli poach for ten minutes. Stir gently, occasionally, to avoid any sticking.
Remove to a plate with the slotted spoon, drain carefully, and serve with pesto sauce, either hot or cold.

Notes:

Recipe Index

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