Herb Ravioli Step by Step.

Herb ravioli step by step. 

Every Time I mention ravioli, everyone always thinks of that garbage in a tin they used to eat as a child. Well here's a lovely alternative to that's also a great vegetarian dish.   

Pasta dough:

4 eggs

6 yolks

550g tipo "00" flour

15ml saffron water

15ml olive oil

Filling: 

500g ricotta

250g parmesan

1 lemon zest

20g chives

20g chervil

20g parsley 

Salt

Pepper 

Watercress velouté:

6 shallots

1/2 bulb garlic

50g butter

30ml olive oil

Salt

200ml white wine

500ml nage

200ml cream

200g watercress

This recipe is more about the actual ravioli than the dish its self, i'll do a little walk through on how to make the ravioli, the filling and the method of shaping it. 

Start of by making your pasta dough by either hand or in a mixer, clingfilm and leave to rest for an hour or so in the fridge. To make the filling, chop the herbs and add them to everything else and leave to chill in the fridge. The mix will firm up a little and will make it easier to shape the ravioli. 

Roll out your pasta into large sheets, sprinkle a little polenta on the bench and lay the sheet down. Give it a little brush with some cold water, only a little tho. In the middle of the sheet, place a spoonful of filling every 2 inches until you get to the end. Fold over the sheet in one whole go. Starting from one end using the side your hand, shape it like a "C" and press down on the pasta, you want to try and remove all the air from the ravioli the repeat the "C" shape with the other hand to seal it. Repeat the process until you have sealed all the pasta. 

Using a small round cutter roughly 1 inch in diameter, turn it upside down and press down  on the ravioli, only enough to make a stronger seal, then using a fluted cutter, cut your pasta to the desired size.

 This one is quite small but I prefer these as they based around presentation rather that rustic pasta shapes. If you want to use the all your pasta and have no wastage then you can simple just cut the pasta with a knife making a straight line, producing a really rustic style of ravioli. 

I've served this with a few sauté mushrooms and some watercress velouté and some fresh watercress. The filling can literally be anything from ricotta to ragu or squash to tomato.  

Lemon & pine nut iced parfait, meringue & sorrel granita.

Lemon & pine nut iced parfait, meringue & sorrel granita. 

This is a failsafe dish that I've used for a few years on my set lunch menu's, it's a simple dish thats easily produced and flys out the door at anytime of the year. It's a perfect dish to teach basic pastry skills also. 

Lemon & pine nut iced parfait:

12 lemons juiced

6 lemon zest 

10 egg yolks

200g sugar

60ml water

200g pine nuts

800ml cream

Juice the lemons and reduce to 150ml. Bring the sugar & water to 119*c while you whisk the egg yolks until they are thick and glossy. Once ready, add the sugar mix to the egg yolk and whisk until cold. Toast the pine nuts, add them with the reduced liquid & the zest to the yolk mix. Semi whip the cream and fold it into the yolk mix. Pour into desired mould and freeze. Best stored at -12*c. 

Sorrel granita:

50g sorrel

500ml water

75g sugar

25ml vodka

Bring the water & sugar to the boil, add the vodka and chill over ice. Add the sorrel when cold and blend. Pass and freeze. Scrape with a fork when needed. 

Meringue tuille:

100g egg whites

100g caster sugar

100g icing sugar

Whisk the egg whites until peaked, add the caster sugar and whisk for another few moments until it becomes thick and glossy. Add the icing sugar and fold it in. Spread onto a silmat and bake at 90*c for 30 minutes. Once ready, leave to cool and break into desired size.