Green Lemon Ricotta Ravioli with a Proper Sage and Butter Sauce

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Lemon! Ricotta! Butter! Need I say more?

A classic pairing of flavours is in order with this ravioli, featuring a bright dough and filling from cavolo nero (OKA Tuscan kale). Lemon zest in the ricotta filling packs a punch and adds a zing of citrus through this dish. Served in a classic beurre monté, a French preparation resulting in a perfectly emulsified butter sauce.

Serves four (makes around 70 ravioli – extras can be frozen)   

Ingredients

Pasta dough  

• 200g cavolo nero – yielding 150g purée for the dough

• 300g soft wheat flour, tipo 00

• 50g semolina flour

• 50g egg yolks (roughly 3 large egg yolks)

• Fine semolina (for dusting the ravioli)

Filling

• 400g ricotta

• Zest of one lemon

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tbsp leftover kale purée

• 20g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

Sage and Butter Sauce

• 1/3 cup water

• 200g cold butter, cut into cubes (allow 50g butter per person)

• 15-20 sage leaves

Method

Cavolo nero puree  

1. Remove the kale leaves from their stems and blanche in boiling water for about 60 seconds

2. Transfer to an ice bath to cool and keep vibrant

3. Once cool, squeeze excess water from the kale leaves before transferring to a blender

4. Blend until you have a smooth purée. If you need to, add a dash of water to help bind the kale into a purée.

5. You should have roughly 200g purée.

Pasta Dough

1. Place the flours in a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre.

2. Add your egg yolks and kale purée and begin to whisk to until you have a thick custard-like consistency, incorporating a little bit of flour as you do.

3. Switch to a bench scraper and start to flip the flour from the outer edge over and onto the egg mix, using a cutting motion to then mix it in. Continue to do this around all sides until you have a shaggy dough.

4. Begin kneading the dough vigorously for a good 10 minutes until the dough is springy and elastic, and not sticking to your hands at all

5. Cover and rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling

1. Combine all of the ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

2. Place into a piping bag (if you have one) and leave to chill in the fridge until needed.

Shaping the Ravioli

1. Divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one at a time – flatten the piece with your hand or a rolling pin before passing it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine. Fold the edges in to create a neat rectangle that fits the width of your pasta machine, and run it through the thickest setting again until your dough is uniform in shape

2. Continue passing your dough through the machine, working through each thickness setting until it’s 1/16” thick, typically the third to last setting on most machines.

3. Cut the rolled sheet into two halves. Use the dull edge of a 3cm cutter to imprint circles for your filling on one sheet, evenly spaced out.

4. Pipe the filling onto each circle mark, then cover with the other half of the pasta sheet.

5. Use the dull edge of the 3cm cutter to seal the filling, before using a 4cm cutter to cut and seal the ravioli.

6. Continue this process with the rest of your dough and filling, placing the cut ravioli on a baking sheet dusted with fine semolina as you go.

Sage and Butter Sauce/Finishing touches

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season generously with salt.

2. Add a 1/3 cup of cold water to a large frying or sauté pan over a medium heat.

3. Once the water is boiling, start to drop in a few cubes of cold butter, swirling the pan and whisking continuously until the butter is emulsified and uniform.

4. Continue adding the rest of the butter, whisking, whirling and swirling. Throw in the sage leaves.

5. Remove the pan from the heat.

6. Drop the ravioli into the boiling water and cooking for 2 minutes.

7. Scoop out with a slotted spoon or spider, and drop directly into the butter sauce.

8. Gently whirl and toss to coat all of the ravioli in the sauce.

9. Serve with extra Parmigiano Reggiano.