RUNNY EGG YOLK ASPARAGUS RAVIOLI

Now that asparagus has even hit the farmstands in the Midwest, how about a scrumptious celebration of Spring, with some easy to prepare home-made ravioli.
No need to be afraid of the term “home-made pasta” – it is much less difficult that it sounds and you do not need a pasta machine either. Just some elbow grease to roll out that dough!

The following recipe is the result of several trials (varying the preparation if the asparagus for the best asparagus taste!), which I photographed step by step for easier instructions. Of course, this final version saw the camera break down. So, you have to imagine the pictures! But I figured I better share the recipe now, than wait for my new camera to come around! You wanna enjoy that asparagus ravioli while you can!

Why this one is called runny egg yolk ravioli, well, that is the beauty of this dish: you form a crater of your filling (in our case ricotta and asparagus) on a sheet of pasta dough, and nestle an egg yolk inside. As the fresh pasta cooks really quick (about three minutes), your ravioli will contain a warmed, but still runny egg yolk, perfecting the taste of the asparagus!

For the pasta dough (makes ca. six –eight large ravioli)
1.5 cups pastry flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp. Cosimo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil (from The Scrumptious Pantry)

Method: (forgive me that I believe in working dough with your hands will get better results!) 1.) Mount the flour on an even surface, forming a crater inside, 2.) Whisk the two eggs and 1 tbsp. of Cosimo’s EVOO, 3.) Put liquid in the crater and start mixing in the flour using a fork, 4.) Knead the dough for about five minutes, adding some more EVOO if necessary. 5.) Set aside to rest in refrigerator

For the filling
1 bunch green asparagus (ca. 15 stalks)
1 cup fresh ricotta (if you can get sheep ricotta that is grand, but cow’s milk works just as well!)
2 tsp. of Roberta’s Herbed All-Purpose Salt (from The Scrumptious Pantry)
2 tbsp. of Cosimo’s EVOO (from The Scrumptious Pantry)
six egg yolks
four egg whites
1 tbsp. of Guido’s Balsamic Dressing Sauce (from The Scrumptious Pantry)

Method:
1.) Cook asparagus in boiling water until tender. Do not throw out the water afterwards – you want to cook the ravioli in it! 2) Mix ricotta, asparagus, herbed salt and EVOO quickly in a food processor. 3) Separate the eggs, as you want four of the whites to go into your filling! “park” the yolks separately in espresso cups. 4) Beat egg white till stiff and slowly mix with ricotta filling. 5) Add in a tablespoon of Guido’s Balsamic for little more complexity.

At this point you are ready to roll – literally. Roll out the dough thinly and cut into pasta sheets 4 inches high and 8 inches wide (you are gonna flip them over!). You should have somewhere between 6 and eight pasta sheets. I personally prefer smaller ravioli over lager ones, but feel free to make them in any size you want. Just be reminded that the size of the ravioli will increase in the pot – fresh pasta dough does that.

Put two tablespoons of the filling onto each sheet, forming a crater in the middle. Put egg yolk into crater. Flip over pasta sheet and firmly press edges together (attention! It is not a Danish Pastry, you do not want thick sides!).

Gently place in the boiling water and let cook for about two to three minutes. Serve with a drizzle of Cosimo’s EVVO and a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy spring!