I love homemade ravioli for their endless variety of recipes, shapes and ways of serving. Every region and almost every village, has a special version depending on the season and holidays.
This recipe is inspired by the cuisine of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna where it is not unusual to include sweet elements like fruit, chestnuts and even raisins in the filling.
To obtain the right texture you need pears with firm smooth flesh, not the grainy and soft ones. Ideally you should also used aged balsamic vinegar at least 15 years old. If aged balsamic is not available, substitute with a commercial balsamic glaze which does not have by far the complexity of proper aged balsamico but it’s creamy and will not make your sauce runny. For an even more modern touch, you could also use good quality raw honey instead of the balsamic.
Recipe
Pasta dough:
- 200 g (1 3/4 cups) Italian 00 flour
- 2 large eggs
Filling:
- 250 g (8 oz) fresh ricotta
- 1 firm pear (e.g. d’Anjou)
- 60 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan
- grated zest of 1 lemon
Sauce:
- 60 g (4 tablespoon) butter
- 30 g (1 oz) thin shavings of
- aged Pecorino
- 2-3 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar or 1/2 teaspoon raw honey per person
Peel, slice and cut the pear into very small cubes. Sauté briefly in 1 teaspoon of butter and allow to cool. Combine with the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and grated Parmesan.
Make the pasta dough in the food processor as explained in my basic recipe. Divide the pasta into a few 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 for about 3 minutes, until al dente.
Drain and transfer the ravioli to a large pan with the remaining melted butter. Increase the heat, add a few tablespoon of pasta water and stir to absorb.
Distribute onto 4 plates, top with Pecorino shavings and drizzle with balsamic vinegar or honey.
Makes about 50 ravioli, serves 4.
ok let’s do it…. but after reading this, I need to eat first. mmmmm.
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All right, it’s a deal then. The new bestseller will be by us!
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Ok, YUMMMM! Need to try this one! xx
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Hi Megan, only with homemade ravioli. Mother in law will provide I guess?
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I love pear ravioli… will have to try the balsamic on them! YUM!!!
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Giulia the balsamic really makes the dish as it brings out the flavor of the pear and offsets the creaminess of the cheeses.
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My mouth is watering. When pears are in season, I will have to try this! (And you should use that photo for your book cover!)
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The photos are just stunning and what a great combination of ingredients. I want some now.
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Sandra! Would you please write the preface to the book?
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Absolutely — IF I’m paid in pear and pecorino ravioli!
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Sandra I can even add some tiramisu to the deal!
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I loved this recipe! I made it for my wife, and she raved about it. Thank you!
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thank you, I am alaways happy if someone can use my recipes!
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I really like this recipe!!! I made it fore frends and they loved it . Thank you soooo much !!. if is not a problem :- / can i ask fore one recipie i really love wild mushrooms Ravioli but i haven seen a really good one that convens me. Pleaseeee 😦
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I Celia, I am happy you like this recipe. If you look at my ravioli recipes they are all built the same way. You precook some vegetables, chop them finely, mix them with ricotta and a hard cheese, e.g. grated Parmesan or pecorino and use this mixture as a filling for ravioli. So for wild mushrooms I would saute the mushrooms on quite high heat, add some garlic and parsley at the end so the garlic does not brown, cool off and chop. Then proceed with the ricotta and Parmesan as explained for pears. Make sure to strain any cooking liquid from the mushrooms so to have a fairly dry filling. Use it with a little butter to dress the pasta once is cooked.
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Thank you!!! im going to make them this weekend 🙂
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please make sure to post pictures on FB!
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I so enjoyed cooking with you a couple of weeks ago, Letizia. Back in Seattle today and I am planning to make ravioli tonight. I have some leftover grilled asparagus and thought I would mix it with ricotta, mint, and a little Parmesan, then use the lemon sauce that we did with the zucchini ravioli. Can you remind me how to do the lemon sauce? I know it was simple. Any other tips or ideas?
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Hi Elizabeth, lovely to hear from you! The lemon sauce is here https://madonnadelpiatto.com/2009/05/02/fettuccine-al-limone/ . Grilled asparagus is always wonderful as a filling for ravioli but I would use the mint in teh sauce rather than in the filling to retain more flavor. Enjoy!
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