primo piatto

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4) 400g ‘00’ grade pasta flour, plus extra for dusting; ½tsp fine salt; 2tsp very finely ground black pepper; 2 egg yolks; 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten; 230ml extra virgin olive oil; 8 large (or 16 medium) fresh sage leaves; ½tsp grated lemon zest, to serve For the filling: 750g ricotta cheese; grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons; 250g cooked king prawns, peeled and finely chopped; 3tbsp chopped fresh chives; 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten; salt

METHOD:

1. For the dough: place the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks, beaten eggs and two tablespoons of oil. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gradually mix. Once crumbly, turn onto a well-floured surface.

2. Knead for eight to 10 minutes until soft and smooth. As with bread: hold the dough in one hand, fold, push down and stretch the dough away from you with the other hand. Rotate and repeat. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Mix the ricotta, lemon zest, prawns and chives in a bowl. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

4. Unwrap the dough, dust it lightly with flour and cut into two even-sized pieces. Roll out each to about 2mm thick, either using a pasta machine or a rolling pin. Dust frequently with flour or the dough can become sticky.

5. Lay one piece of dough on a well-dusted work surface. Place a tablespoonful of the filling at 5cm intervals over half the sheet only. Lightly brush the spaces around the filling with the beaten egg. Fold over the dough to cover the filling. Press gently around each spoonful of filling to expel the air. Using a 5.5cm round ravioli stamp cutter, cut out the ravioli. Cover with a tea towel and repeat with the other piece of dough.

6. Cook the ravioli in a large pan of boiling, salted water for three minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sage. As soon as it starts to sizzle, transfer the ravioli using a slotted spoon to the pan with the sage. Gently toss to coat. To serve, sprinkle with a little lemon zest