It's all about the prep with this fresh homemade pasta dish
With a combination of fresh homemade pasta turned into ravioli bursting with egg yolk, this homemade egg yolk ravioli (aka raviolo al uovo) is a simple and decadent meal.
For the dough
Rinse the spinach leaves then blend with a little water into a smooth puree. Using a piece of muslin cloth squeeze out all the juice and put aside
Add your flour in a mound onto a clean working surface and then create a well in the center and add the spinach juice and oil to it
Using a fork, whisk from the centre, slowly incorporating the flour into the spinach oil mixture to create a rough dough and then knead it with your hands until it is smooth and elastic
If the dough is too wet and sticks to your hand, add a little more flour and knead until smooth. If it’s too dry, add a little more liquid. But be patient because the dough can look a little dry, to begin with as it takes a while to absorb the moisture from the spinach juice – keep kneading and only right at the end of this step decide if you need a little extra flour or liquid
Before using the dough allow it to rest for 20 minutes, wrapped tightly in cling film. Once rested, it should be tender and easy to work with
For the ravioli
Firstly, you need to separate the egg yolks from the whites
Once the pasta sheets are rolled out, use a round cutter (or ravioli stamp) around 8cm in diameter to cut out circles from the dough making sure the pasta is well floured so it doesn’t stick
Carefully use a spoon to add the egg yolks to the center of half the circles, and then use a pastry brush or your finger to brush a little water around the edges of the pasta circle before placing another sheet of the dough over it and using your fingers or a fork to seal the ravioli
If any of the pasta sticks to the kitchen surface after you’ve sealed the ravioli, you can use a bench scraper or similar tool to lift it without damaging it
To cook the ravioli start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Gently drop the egg yolk ravioli into the water and allow them to cook for around 2-3 minutes. This should produce slightly al-dente pasta with yolks that are still fairly runny
For the sage butter sauce melt the butter in a large pan and add the crushed garlic and sage, stirring well to saute´. Once the ravioli are boiled, transfer it to the pan allowing it to sizzle and crisp up and lightly brown just for a minute or so, then spoon some of the butter over the top, serve, and enjoy!