Doughs:
Fillings:
Sauces:
In 1974, chefs Nino Bergese and Valentino Marcattilii of the Michelin-starred Ristorante San Domenico in Imola (near Bologna) changed ravioli forever. Encased within delicate sheets of egg pasta and a towering nest of spinach and ricotta was an egg yolk. With one satisfying cut, the humble yolk became unctuous liquid gold, pooling alongside the cheesy filling to create its own decadent sauce. The dish was, of course, finished with a shower of freshly shaved truffles.
These ravioli are more common today, but they’re no less spectacular. Try them for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or another special occasion—or, in my case, I first enjoyed them at the hands of my wonderful husband, who spent hours rolling dough and separating eggs just to make an average Sunday exceptional. Serve them in a simple butter sauce to keep the focus on the yolk.
Tips and tricks
- The key to fully cooked pasta with a still-runny egg yolk is very thin pasta sheets, so if you don’t have a pasta machine, I suggest skipping ahead. A piping bag is another helpful tool here since it’ll make it much easier to create the filling “nest” that holds the yolk in place (a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off will work in a pinch).
- Use a thick, creamy filling that can stand tall; a very soft, runny filling won’t encase the yolk properly. I especially recommend the black pepper and Pecorino filling, the mushroom filling, or, of course, the spinach and ricotta filling, pictured opposite, to honor tradition.
- To separate the eggs, I prefer to crack them into a bowl, then gently scoop up each yolk with my hands, passing it back and forth between them to remove all of the white. You can do them all at once or one at a time, but make sure to place each yolk in its own small bowl or cup.
Notes
- These ravioli are decadent, so two per person is usually plenty. Use the leftover dough and filling as you please: Make “classic” ravioli or cut the dough into any pasta shape and cook it, then thin out your filling with some pasta water to make a creamy sauce.
- It’s best to cook these as soon as you’re done making them, but they’ll keep on a semolina-dusted sheet pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 hours.
- The leftover egg whites can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Use them in frittatas or omelets, or shake them into cocktails.
MAKE THE DOUGH AND FILLING
Make your pasta dough and filling of choice. Let the dough rest, tightly covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and chill thoroughly.
SET UP YOUR WORKSPACE AND SEPARATE THE EGGS
Dust a sheet pan with semolina or line it with a dishcloth. Gather your tools and set up your pasta machine. Separate two or more eggs and place each yolk into its own small bowl or cup.
SHEET AND CUT THE DOUGH
Roll a quarter of your pasta dough into a sheet, stopping at setting 7 for a Marcato or twice through setting 7 for a KitchenAid.
Lay the pasta sheet horizontally on your work surface—if you’re using a countertop, dust it with some 00 or all-purpose flour first—and trim any uneven edges. Save the scraps for soups or a snack, or ball them up and cover them so they can be reused at the end.
Fold the dough in half crosswise, like a book, and make a crease to mark the midpoint. Unfold it again and cut along the crease so you have two even pieces. Then fold each of those smaller pieces in half crosswise, like a book, and cut them down the middle, too, so you have four squares, roughly 6 inches (15 cm) in size. Set two pieces aside and cover them with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap.
PIPE THE FILLING
With the piping bag tip snipped at about ½ inch (1.25 cm), pipe an open circle of filling in the center of the remaining two squares—it should be large enough to fit an egg yolk snugly, about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter (you can use the blunt side of a cookie cutter or rim of a glass to mark an outline if you’d like). Then pipe another layer of filling directly on top of the first, so you have a little nest.
ADD THE EGG YOLKS
Quickly and carefully slide an egg yolk from its small cup or bowl into each nest. If needed, carefully pipe a little more filling around the yolk to keep it in place.
SEAL AND TRIM THE PASTA
If the dough feels dry, dip a finger in a small amount of water and trace around the filling, or lightly mist the dough with a spray bottle.
Gently lay the other two squares of pasta on top of the filling and yolks. Push out any air pockets around the filling, lifting the top sheet of pasta to remove the air as needed, then press around the filling firmly to seal.
Using a fluted pasta cutter, pasta wheel, sharp knife, or large cookie cutter, trim the excess pasta dough into a square or round—if the scraps are hydrated, ball them up and cover them to reuse later; if they’re dry, cut them into pieces and save them for a snack or soup.
Firmly pinch the edges of each raviolo to seal once more and thin them out (if you’d like, use the tines of a fork to press the edges closed for a crimped effect). Arrange the ravioli in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until you have as many ravioli as you like.
COOK THE RAVIOLI
To cook, bring a large, deep pan of water to a gentle (not rolling) boil, then salt it generously. Working with no more than four ravioli at a time, cook until the edges are tender, about 4 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to push the edges under the water as needed; when they’re done, remove them from the water using a spider sieve or slotted spoon.
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