You either find the idea of making food from scratch ridiculous… or incredibly satisfying. I fall firmly into the second camp. There are very few things I consider not worth the time or effort to make from scratch — and pasta is not one of them.
Homemade pasta is in a league of its own. The taste and texture are unmatched, and all it takes is flour, eggs, and some elbow grease. Ravioli is one of the more technical pasta shapes to make, but incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it.
It was the Pumpkin Ravioli that caught my eye in the sea of 100 cheese packed recipes that make up James Martin’s cookbook – Cheese. It’s beautiful in its simplicity, delicious and well worth the rolling, filling and sealing. Save for an afternoon you have a couple of hours to roll, seal and fill.
Dietary Notes
Every recipe contains dairy. Most do involve gluten and some meat.
Best For
Dairy lovers. Nearly every recipe uses multiple types of cheese or cream.
Cooking Level
Intermediate to Advanced – recipes often involve time, technique and precision.
Did I mention I’m sharing his recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli? Set aside an afternoon and put this on your to do list.
James Martin calls for ‘00’ flour – a super-fine Italian flour often used in pasta and pizza doughs. It’s available at specialty grocers. If you can’t find it, regular all-purpose flour will work in a pinch.
Pumpkin Ravioli
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 250 g ‘00’ flour
- 250 g semolina plus extra for dusting
- 5 eggs
For the Filling
- 200 g pumpkin puree
- 75 g mascarpone
- 50 g amaretti biscuits crushed
- juice of ½ lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce
- 250 g butter
- juice of 1 lemon
To Serve
- fried sage leaves
- grated Pecorino Romano
Instructions
- Make the pasta dough: In a food processor, add the flour and semolina. With the motor running on low, slowly add the eggs until a dough forms. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.
- Prepare the filling: In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée and mascarpone. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the crushed amaretti. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and mix again.
- Roll the pasta:Using a pasta machine, roll the dough to its thinnest setting. Lightly dust a surface with semolina, and cut out 7cm rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
- Fill and seal: Place a spoonful of filling onto half of the pasta circles – keep the edges clear. Brush the edges with water and top with another unfilled pasta circle. Press the edges together to seal well.
- Make the sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook until it turns nut brown. Add the lemon juice and remove from heat.
- Cook the ravioli: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently drop in the ravioli and cook for 1 minute. Drain carefully.
- Serve:Plate the ravioli and spoon over the brown butter sauce. Top with fried sage leaves and a generous grating of Pecorino Romano.
Cheese is published by Quadrille and distributed by Jonathan Ball Publishers. It is available here.
