Make the recipe Richard Corrigan cooked for Mary Black.

Ingredients

Pasta:

  • 500 g flour (sieved)
  • 3 eggs whisked
  • 5 g salt
  • 1 tblsp water
  • 1 tblsp quality olive oil

Filling:

  • 250 g ricotta
  • 1 bag of spinach (wilted, really well drained)
  • nutmeg
  • 20 g pecorino (grated)
  • basil
  • salt

Putting it all together:

  • 1 egg yolk (beaten)
  • olive oil
  • crushed chilli flakes
  • pecorino
  • salt

Tuscan Tomato Sauce:

  • garlic (sliced very finely)
  • tinned cherry tomatoes (washed, peeled and seeds squeezed out)
  • 1 leaf of basil
  • quality extra virgin olive oil
  • chilli flakes
  • salt

Method

Pasta:

  1. Put flour into a bowl; make a well in the centre add the eggs and salt.
  2. Mix together with your hands, keep kneading until it all comes together.
  3. Drizzle some quality olive oil into the dough and knead it through.
  4. Divide the dough into four pieces, cover with cling-film and put into the fridge to rest, for about 20 minutes.

Tip:

If you're not going to use it all at this stage put the excess into the freezer, for a later date.

Filling:

  1. Chop the wilted spinach roughly, add the ricotta, and grate some nutmeg in to flavour.
  2. Add some finely torn basil through, 3 leaves (optional).
  3. Finally add the grated pecorino and mix it lightly. You don't want a smooth texture: it's nicer left a little rough and crumbly.

Putting It All Together:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil add salt and pour in some oil, keep the water at a rolling boiling as you make the ravioli.
  2. Take the pasta dough out of the fridge, start putting the pasta through the pasta maker, beginning at the top number, 5, and work the pasta through until you get it to the lowest number, 1.
  3. The pasta should be silky smooth. Cut the pasta into more manageable pieces if you like.
  4. Once you have lengths which have been worked cut into rectangular pieces - you are going to fold one over the other so ensure that the piece is long enough fold.
  5. With a teaspoon, take a spoon of the mixture and place in the centre, right-hand side of the rectangle.
  6. Brush the sides of the pasta with beaten egg yolk, and fold the pasta over. Press out any little air bubbles.
  7. One piece of dough will make roughly 4 pieces of ravioli.
  8. Place the ravioli into the gently boiling water.
  9. The ravioli will only take a couple of minutes to cook.
  10.  Take the cooked ravioli out of the water put on a plate drizzle with olive oil and grate a little pecorino cheese over, and sprinkle lightly with chilli flakes.
  11.  Richard suggests two pieces are perfect for a starter portion. Four will be lovely for a full lunch portion.

Tuscan Tomato Sauce:

  1. Heat oodles of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add to this lots of finely sliced garlic, basil and a little salt. Cook gently to let all the flavours merge.
  2. Add the tomatoes and gently cook for 5-6 minutes, finally sprinkle lightly with some chilli.

To Serve:

Spoon a little sauce over the dressed ravioli and serve immediately.