ravioli with burrata

ravioli alla burrata

TOTAL TIME: 60 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

Burratta, cream-filled mozzarella, was once hard to find but is increasingly available and much sought after. Once you try these rich, pillowy ravioli you’ll see why.

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Ingredients

For the pasta:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt or kosher salt
For the filling and sauce:
3 slices packaged white sandwich bread, crusts removed
12 ounces burrata cheese
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram
Fine sea salt or kosher salt
2 scallions, chopped
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped

Instructions

On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs, oil and pinch salt to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead until smooth, about 4 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until finely chopped. Over a large bowl, tear apart burrata; add bread, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 tablespoon oil, basil and marjoram. Stir to combine. Season filling with salt to taste.

Divide pasta dough into 4 pieces. Cover 3 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten unwrapped dough so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine. Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.

Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta is smooth, thin and approximately 37 inches in length. Dust pasta sheet with flour and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and repeat with remaining dough.

On one pasta sheet, put 10 dots of 1 tablespoon filling, centered on dough, 1 1/2 inches apart. Top with a second pasta sheet. Dampen a 2 1/2-inch ravioli stamp or cutter with water; stamp out 10 ravioli. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

In a small saucepan, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat; add scallions, chili and pinch salt; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until water is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add ravioli and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a colander to drain, then transfer to serving dishes. Spoon scallion mixture over the top, drizzle with oil and serve immediately.

October 2009