Ravioli filled with tomato and bread in a mozzarella cream

“This is one of Daniele Sera’s signature dishes at hotel Castello di Casole in central Tuscany,” says Katie. “He has taken a typical Tuscan recipe for tomato, basil and bread soup and made it into a filling for fresh pasta. These tangy parcels are served

120 ml extra-virgin olive oil 1 small Spanish onion, finely

chopped

2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed 400 gm canned plum tomatoes ¾ cup day-old crustless

country-style bread, torn ⅔ cup (loosely packed) basil,

coarsely chopped

1 quantity of fresh pasta

(see recipe p133)

Coarse semolina or “00” flour, for dusting

25 gm butter, diced

Extra-virgin olive oil and grated parmesan, to serve MOZZARELLA CREAM

125 gm mozzarella, coarsely

chopped, liquid reserved 125 ml (½ cup) double cream 125 gm unsalted butter, coarsely

chopped

1 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, season to taste and sauté until onion has softened (5-7 minutes). Add tomatoes and crush with a potato masher. Fill tomato can to a quarter with cold water to rinse, then add to pan. Simmer uncovered until pulpy (40 minutes) and season to taste. Transfer 150ml to a saucepan (reserve remaining for another use).

2 Soak bread in a small bowl of cold water until soaked through. Squeeze out excess water, then add to tomato sauce and stir over medium heat to combine. Stir in basil and simmer over low heat until bread has broken down and thickened the sauce (15 minutes). Cool.

3 Take half the fresh pasta (keep remaining covered) and halve again. Flour the work surface but don’t flour top side of pasta or it will be hard to seal. Working with a piece at a time, roll with a rolling pin or pasta machine until you can see your hand through it. If using a pasta machine, set it on the second-to-last setting – the very last setting makes the thinnest pasta, but this is too fragile for ravioli. Roll both pieces of dough into equal-sized sheets. Dot heaped teaspoonfuls of filling at even intervals (two fingers’ width apart is ideal) on one sheet and place the other sheet over the top. Press down around filling to expel air and seal. Using a pasta wheel or a sharp knife, cut ravioli into 5cm squares, then place on a surface dusted with flour or semolina (semolina is good – it doesn’t stick to the pasta). Repeat with remaining pasta until all the filling is used.

4 For mozzarella cream, stir mozzarella and its liquid, cream and butter in a saucepan over high heat until cheese melts (4-5 minutes). Pass through a sieve to remove any small lumps of cheese and season with salt to taste. Return to pan and keep sauce warm over gentle heat.

5 Meanwhile, cook ravioli in well-salted boiling water for just 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a warm dish, add butter and toss to combine – this stops pasta sticking together. Pour a ladleful of mozzarella cream into each serving bowl and place pasta on top. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with grated parmesan, season with black pepper and serve.