Ravioli
“Cacio Pepe e Pere”
(Fresh Ravioli Stuffed with Pear and Pecorino Cheese)
Chef Lidia Bastianich, TV personality, author and owner of Felidia
and Becco - New York, NY, Lidia's Kansas City
and Lidia's Pittsburgh
Adapted by StarChefs
Yield: 6 Servings Ingredients:
Fresh egg pasta:
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, or as needed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Warm water as needed
Ravioli filling:
- 3-4 Bartlett pears, peeled and cored (approximately 1 pound)
- 3 Tablespoons mascarpone
- 1 pound grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese (for stuffing
ravioli)
- 4 ounces aged grated Pecorino Romano cheese
(to finish pasta)
- 6 ounces butter
- Black peppercorn, coarsely ground, to taste
- Grated Pecorino Romano, for serving
Method:
For fresh egg pasta:
Spoon 2 2/3 cups of the flour into a large food processor fitted with
metal blade. Beat the eggs, olive oil and salt together in a small
bowl until blended. With the motor running, pour the egg mixture into
the feed tube. Process until the ingredients form a rough and slightly
sticky dough. If the mixture is too dry, drizzle a very small amount
of warm water into the feed tube and continue processing. Scrape the
dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured wood or marble surface.
Knead the dough by gathering it into a compact ball, then
pushing the ball away from you with the heels of your hands. Repeat
the gathering and pushing motion several times, then press into
the dough, first with the knuckles of one hand, then with the other,
several times. Alternate between kneading and “knuckling”
the dough until it is smooth, silky and elastic, i.e., it pulls
back into shape when you stretch it. The process will take 5 to
10 minutes of constant kneading, slightly longer if you prepared
the dough by hand. (Mixing the dough in a food processor gives the
kneading process a little head start). Flour the work surface and
your hands lightly any time the dough begins to stick while you
are kneading.
Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a small bowl. Cover
with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least one hour at room
temperature, or up to 1 day in the refrigerator, before rolling
and shaping the pasta. If the dough has been refrigerated, let it
stand at room temperature for about an hour before rolling and shaping.
For ravioli filling:
On a cutting board grate the pears and the fresh pecorino cheese
in two different mounds, using the side of the grater with the larger
blades. Mix the pear and pecorino together in a bowl with the mascarpone.
To assemble:
Divide the dough into three equal pieces and cover them with a clean
kitchen towel. Working with one piece at a time, roll the pasta
out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle approximately 10
x 20 inches. Dust the work surface lightly with flour just often
enough to keep the dough from sticking; too much flour will make
the dough difficult to roll. If the dough springs back as you try
to roll it, recover with the kitchen towel and let it rest for 10
to 15 minutes. Start rolling another piece of dough and come back
to the first one after it has had a chance to rest.
Let the pasta sheets rest, separated by kitchen towels, at least
15 minutes before cutting them. Roll each piece out into sheets
about 30 inches long by 11 inches wide. Keep two of the pasta sheets
covered with kitchen towels and place the third on the work surface
in front of you with one of the long edges toward you.
Arrange twenty mounds of the pear filling in two rows of ten over
the top half of the dough, starting them about 1 ½ inches
in from the sides of the dough rectangle and arranging them about
2 ½ inches from each other. Pat the fillings into rough rectangles
that measure about 2 x 1 inch. Dip the tip of your finger into cool
water and moisten the edges of the top half of the dough and in
between the mounds of filling. Fold the bottom of the dough over
the mounds of filling, lining up dough to the bottom firmly, squeezing
out any air pockets as you work.
With a pastry wheel or knife, cut between the filling into rectangles
approximately 2 ½ x 2 inches. Pat lightly the tops of the
ravioli to even out the filling. Pinch the edges of the ravioli
to seal in the filling. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of
dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a sauté
pan, melt the butter with a cup of water. Cook the ravioli in boiling
water for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and then toss the ravioli together
with the melted butter in the sauté pan for a few seconds.
Remove from heat and finish with the aged Pecorino cheese and coarsely
ground peppercorn. Serve with additional grated pecorino as desired.
Wine Pairing:
A rich Italian white such as the Colterenzio “Cornell”
Gewürztraminer 2002 from the Alto Adige.
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