Ravioli with broccoli, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta

Blogger and food writer Eleonora Galasso was born and raised in Rome. In her book Delicious Rome, she takes you on a tour of her city.

The book is packed with kitchens, side streets and traditions. In her book, you’ll find recipes for romantic dinners and quick breakfasts. Galasso says the following about this ravioli recipe:

A ray of sunlight falls on my favorite spot in the Biblioteca Angelica as I lose myself in a book. I look at the endless bookcases, browse the card catalog and remain as quiet as possible: this is a wonderful place. When I leave the library, convinced that my day cannot get any better, I see a pastificio (pasta factory).

I always get a good feeling when I make pasta by hand. I love experimenting, so in this case basil pasta with a ricotta filling comes together with sun-dried tomatoes and anchovies. Let your imagination run wild and lose yourself in eternity.

Method

Purée all the filling ingredients in a food processor. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the anchovies, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until they have melted. Add the broccoli, chili flakes, stock and half the walnuts, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but still has some bite and the liquid has reduced by one-third.

Meanwhile, make the pasta dough. Place the flour on a large board or a clean, floured work surface. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg, chopped basil and a pinch of salt.

Gradually mix the egg into the flour with your fingertips until everything is combined. Knead into one large, smooth ball of dough and divide it into two pieces.

Roll out one piece of dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle measuring 35 by 23 cm and 2 mm thick. Now work quickly: spoon teaspoons of filling onto the top half of the sheet of dough, leaving 2.5 cm between each portion, and lightly brush the dough around the filling with water. Fold the bottom half of the dough over the filling and press the dough around the filling to seal. Cut the dough around the filling with a pastry wheel to form ravioli. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the ravioli and cook for 3 minutes, until they float to the surface. Remove the ravioli from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl with half the broccoli sauce and a ladleful of pasta cooking water.

Spoon the remaining sauce over the ravioli, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan, the remaining walnuts and a few extra basil leaves, and serve.

Image: David Loftus

Delicious Rome

Eleonora Galasso
€ 24.95
Good Cook