A New Twist on an Old Tradition: Ravioli alla Cavarola

Who doesn’t enjoy ravioli?  This version is truly unique, as beautiful as it is delicious.  Filled with cheese and imprinted with a herringbone pattern, this is ravioli dressed for dinner. I used a cavarola board, a traditional wooden implement from Italy’s Mezzogiorno, to press a pattern into the pasta, lending these little cheese-filled pillows a quilted appearance.  

 

In years past, every  housewife had her own cavarola board and used it to make a traditional pasta known as stracnar or stracenate. These simple rectangular strips of embossed pasta are typically served with a hearty tomato based sauce or meat ragù.

 

These ravioli are delicious served in brodo (a bowl of warm chicken broth.) For a tantalizing primo piatto, try serving this delicately flavored filled pasta tossed in melted butter and topped with grated cheese and parsley.  The quality of the butter you use is integral to the success of this dish.  

 

In fact, this is the perfect place to use one of the many fine Italian butters now available in the U.S.  Delitia is one of my favorite brands and is available at Italian shops across the U.S.  Made from pasteurized cream from cows raised in the area of production of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, this butter has a subtle flavor with a pleasing floral background.  Of consistently superior quality, it is made from the same milk that is used to produce Parmigiano-Reggiano.  

 

Overall, the best way to use these premium Italian butters is to not alter their flavors by cooking them.  Just use them to toss pasta or any other simple dish, such as vegetables or even on some good crusty bread. Buy some butter, make some ravioli, and enjoy a feast for the eyes as well as the senses.

 

makes about 50, depending on size

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon semolina

2 large eggs

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons water

 

Place the flour, semolina and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade.  Pulse to blend.  Lightly beat the eggs with the olive oil and water in a small measuring cup.  Remove the processor feed tube, and with the processor running, add the egg mixture, scraping the measuring cup clean.  Process for forty seconds.  The mixture should come together into a ball.  If it does not, add a bit more water.  Remove the dough from the processor.  On a lightly floured counter, knead 1 minute.  Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside to rest for thirty minutes.

 

8 ounces whole milk ricotta

1 egg yolk

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

To form the ravioli, use a pasta machine to roll the dough into sheets about 5 inches wide and ⅛ inch thick. Place an 8 inch long piece of dough on a floured cavarola board.  Imprint by rolling a floured rolling pin over the dough. Lift the dough from the board, and place it on a floured counter.  Place ½ tablespoon balls of filling just off center along the length of the dough.  Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush dough between each spot of filling and along the borders.

 

Fold the dough over filling.  Press gently to remove air pockets.  Cut with a knife or ravioli stamp.  If using a knife, press the edges of each raviolo together using a fork dipped in flour.

 

Place the ravioli on semolina lined towels as you work.  Refrigerate the ravioli if you are not going to cook them straightaway.  You may freeze the ravioli for up to two months.  To freeze, spread the ravioli on a cookie sheet in one layer.  Place in the freezer until frozen, about 2 hours.  Place in freezer-safe containers in layers separated by parchment or waxed paper.

 

3 tablespoons (or more) unsalted butter

Garlic for tossing in saute pan, optional (See Cook’s Note below)

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

freshly cracked black pepper

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil.  Add 3 tablespoons salt.  Lower heat to gentle boil.  Add ravioli.  Cook 2 to 4 minutes, until done. 

 

Meanwhile in a saute pan, melt enough unsalted butter to coat the ravioli.  Add sliced garlic, if desired.  Transfer the cooked ravioli and 2 tablespoons of pasta water to saute pan, and toss to coat. Remove from heat.  Add the parsley and freshly cracked black pepper, tossing to coat.  Serve with grated cheese.

 

Cook’s Note: For added flavor, thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic and add it to the warm melted butter.  Set the pan aside for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.  Discard the garlic and proceed with the recipe.  

In our modern world cavarola boards can be difficult to find, but Italian-American woodworker Terry Mirri of Artisanal Pasta Tools in Napa, California fashions them to order from beech, cherry or oak.  The company’s website is www.artisanalpastatools.com