L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano Delicious home made asparagus and goat cheese ravioli, with a burnt butter sauce. Wholesome and tasty© | Toni Brancatisano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES TONI BRANCATISANO Continued to page 32 Asparagus & goat cheese ravioli with burnt butter, sage & hazelnut sauce M aking your own pasta isn't diffi- cult, and I was reminded whilst making these ravioli just how satisfying, relax- ing and therapeutic it can be. I realized I seriously don't make pasta often enough and so I hope to make an effort to make it more often. You will taste the differ- ence when you make your own pasta: plus the bonus with mak- ing pasta ripiena (filled pasta) is that you can customize it with any filling you like. While making ravioli may be relatively easy, it's the kind of technique that you perfect and develop with time. Once you get the knack (after doing it once, I promise), you can get creative with fillings and sauces, and don't forget to try different shapes (there are stamps in all shapes and sizes). I have used semola in this recipe instead of an egg pasta made just with plain "00" flour. The semola gives the pasta more structure - which is perfect for filled pastas -or you might use it in a recipe for fettuccine or trofie. Depending on how much you add, it also makes the surface of the pasta slightly rougher. Semola is different from semolina though, so don't think they are one in the same. Semolina is closer to corn meal than flour. The Italian semola is very fine, as it is rimacinata (twice milled). Please do not stress if your local supermarket doesn't have any, you can easily make the pasta dough with 300g "00" flour and 3 eggs. The important thing to re- member when making pasta is to work the dough well with "elbow grease" and passion, and then to let it rest for an hour before using it. Homemade pasta cannot be kept for long because of its egg content. Instead of refrigerating it, (especially if you make too much for one sitting), it is best to freeze it. You can then cook it, throwing it into a pot of boil- ing, salted water directly from the freezer. It's certainly a great idea to dedicate a day to making pasta, and then to freeze it in por- tion sizes. This is such a godsend when you come home tired from work and you have little energy to spend too much time in the kitchen. PASTA ALL' UOVO (FRESH PASTA) IDEAL FOR RAVIOLI • 7 oz of plain "00" flour • 3.5 oz durum wheat semola • 3 eggs • pinch of salt 1. Sift the flours on a clean work surface (you can also do this in a large bowl), form a mound and make a well in the centre. 2. Break the eggs and pour into the well. Add the salt. 3. Use a fork or your finger- tips to incorporate the flour grad- ually into the eggs. I use a fork to start beating the eggs, slowly drawing the surrounding flour into the egg until the mixture be- comes too thick to continue working with a fork. Then con- The various passages to make and shape the perfect ravioli © | Toni Brancatisano

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