Prosciutto and cheese ravioli with grilled ceps
This exquisite dish takes a while to prepare but don’t let that put you off. The pasta can be made 24 hours in advance and kept tightly wrapped in cling film in the fridge. And you can adjust the size of the ravioli if you like, shaping and cutting 12 smaller ravioli from the rolled-out pasta. The ginger that is added at the last minute lends a lovely freshness to the chicken broth.
SERVES 6
For the pasta
250g ‘00’ Italian flour
1 medium egg
4 egg yolks
2 tsp cold water
2 tsp light olive oil
A pinch of salt
For the filling and broth
2 attractive, nicely firm ceps (about 300g in total)
50ml light, fruity olive oil
300g cottage cheese
120g Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
25g baby capers, rinsed and dried
30g fines herbes (equal quantities of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives and chervil), snipped, plus 6 chervil sprigs, to garnish
100g prosciutto, cut into fine strips then into dice
1.5 litres chicken stock (for homemade, or use shop-bought)
1 small courgette, finely sliced into long julienne
5g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To make the pasta, pile the flour into a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and egg yolks to the well, with the cold water, oil and salt. Using your fingertips, mix together the ingredients in the well, then gradually work in the flour. When the ingredients are almost combined, work the mixture with the palm of your hand 4 or 5 times, then gather it into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Wipe the ceps using a slightly dampened tea towel to remove any impurities or traces of sand or grit. Detach the stalks and cut them into fine dice, then slice the caps lengthways into 3mm thick slices. Set aside the 12 nicest looking, larger slices on a plate and oil them lightly with olive oil. Finely dice the rest of the cep slices and add them to the diced stalks.
Heat a few drops of olive oil in a frying pan, then add the diced ceps and cook over a medium heat for 1½ minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside in a bowl. Heat a ridged griddle pan over a high heat, add the cep slices and cook for 30 seconds, then turn and griddle on the other side for 30 seconds. Set aside on a plate.
To make the filling, in a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, Parmesan, capers, fines herbes, diced prosciutto and cooled diced ceps. Season lightly with salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Cover with cling film and set aside.
Divide the pasta dough in half; re-wrap one half. Roll out the other half using a pasta machine, starting with the rollers set to 2cm then progressively narrowing the setting until the pasta is rolled out to a sheet 1.5mm thick. It should be 12–13cm wide and 36–40cm long. Cover with a tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Roll out the other half in the same way, to the same thickness and dimensions. Cover with a tea towel as well, to prevent it from drying out.
Using a spoon, divide the filling mixture into 6 mounds. Uncover one sheet of dough and place the mounds along the middle, spacing them at regular intervals. Brush a little cold water around each filling mound. Now uncover the second sheet of pasta dough and position it over the top of the filling, without stretching it (or only very lightly), so that it is covering the whole of the lower sheet of dough and the mounds of filling.
Using your fingertips, press the top sheet of pasta gently all around each mound of filling, to seal the 2 sheets of pasta together well, and so avoid any filling escaping during cooking. Using a fluted 10cm pastry cutter, cut out each ravioli individually, then place on a very clean, flat surface. Brush off any excess flour from them.
Heat the chicken stock in a large pan over a medium heat.
Gently lower the ravioli into the boiling chicken stock and cook over a gentle heat for 2–3 minutes for al dente, or 4–5 minutes for a softer result. Carefully remove the ravioli from the stock using a slotted spoon or skimmer and place on a very clean tea towel. Increase the heat under the stock pan and add the courgette julienne. Cook for 30 seconds, then remove with a skimmer.
Place each ravioli in a warmed shallow bowl and surround with the courgette and grilled ceps. Add the ginger to the stock, stir and check the seasoning. Spoon some stock into each bowl (as much or as little as you prefer). Garnish with chervil and serve at once.