Ravioli With Pears and Balsamic Vinegar
By: letizia mattiacci
Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 - 12:02pm

Ingredients




For the ravioli:
250 grs (8 ounces) fresh  ricotta
1 pear
60 grs (2 ounces) grated Parmesan
grated zest of 1 lemon
4 eggs
400 grs (12 ounces) pastry flour
For the sauce:
60 grs (2 ounces) butter
30 grs (1 ounce) thin shavings of Parmesan or aged pecorino
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar per person

Preparation

1 Make a fresh pasta dough using pastry flour and 4 eggs 2 Peel, slice and cut the pear in very small pieces.
Saute briefly in 1 teaspoon butter and cool
Add to the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and grated Parmesan 3 Using a pasta machine roll dough out into long thin strips. 4 Put teaspoons of the pear and cheese filling about 5 cm (2 inches) apart on the sheet so that you can make a “parcel” by folding over the pasta sheet. 5 Using a pasta cutter seal each parcel by cutting on three sides (the fourth is the fold). Dust a large tray or your worktop with flour and carefully place the ravioli on it taking care that they do not overlap. 6 Put teaspoons of the pear and cheese filling about 5 cm (2 inches) apart on the sheet so that you can make a “parcel” by folding over the pasta sheet. 7 Using a pasta cutter seal each parcel by cutting on three sides (the fourth is the fold). 8 Cook in salted boiling water until al dente, about 3 and 1/2 min.
Drain and toss ravioli with the remaining butter. 9 Distribute onto 4 plates, top with Parmesan (or pecorino) shavings and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

About


RAVIOLI WITH PEAR AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR. I love homemade ravioli, these little pockets of delight. Pear and cheese is a classic combination, but it’s not traditionally used on pasta. This recipe is a good example of Italian modern cuisine. For me this is defined by a few traditional ingredients of excellent quality  used in a novel way and brief cooking to preserve flavors. The result is light, balanced and utterly delicious.
To obtain the right texture you need pears with firm smooth flesh, not the grainy and soft ones. Then you need seriously aged balsamic vinegar, I use 15 years old .
Recipe
For the ravioli:
    * 250 gr./8 ounces fresh  ricotta
    * 1 pear
    * 60 gr (2 ounces) grated Parmesan
    * grated zest of 1 lemon
    * 1 recipe basic pasta dough
For the sauce:
    * 60 gr (2 ounces) butter
    * 30 gr (1 ounce) thin shavings of Parmesan or aged pecorino
    * 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar/person
Peel, slice and cut the pear in very small pieces, saute briefly in 1 teaspoon butter and cool. Add to the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and grated Parmesan.
Divide the pasta into balls of the size of a large egg. Using a pasta machine roll them out into long thin strips.
Put teaspoons of the pear and cheese filling about 5 cm (2 inches) apart on the sheet so that you can make a “parcel” by folding over the pasta sheet. Using a pasta cutter seal each parcel by cutting on three sides (the fourth is the fold). Dust a large tray or your worktop with flour and carefully place the ravioli on it taking care that they do not overlap.
Cook in salted boiling water until al dente, about 3 and 1/2 min. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the pasta and on how dry the ravioli are. Drain and toss ravioli with the remaining butter. Distribute onto 4 plates, top with Parmesan (or pecorino) shavings and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
To make vegetable ravioli, substitute pear with 500 gr./1 pound spinach leaves, blanched in boiling water, squeezed as dry as possible and very finely chopped. Reduce the grated Parmesan in the filling to two tablespoons.
Makes about 50 ravioli, serves 4.