Homemade Ravioli with Sage Butter

This is a recipe which requires a fair amount of time andeffort, but it is well worth it. Commercial ravioli are bland, too perfect versions of the realthing.  Good homemade pasta is nutty,toothy heaven and you can make so many different fillings from savory to sweet.  I sometimes make dessert ravioli withbutternut squash and honey that is wonderful. This particular recipe calls for calves' liver, something which maysound a little strange at first but really makes a nice counterpart to thesweetness of the ricotta cheese.  You canreplace the liver if you find it objectionable with any richly flavored meatyou prefer, or if you want a vegetarian version, you can use some nice, freshmushrooms.  Good luck to you in yourendeavor.

For the filling, you will need:

One medium sweet onion, diced finely

½ lb fresh calves' liver

8 ounces of fresh ricotta

1 clove of garlic, minced

Finely diced fresh parsley, enough to add flavor to the mix

Finely grated Parmiggiano Reggiano, approx. 2-3 ounces

Sauté the onion until browned, then add the liver and seasonwith salt and pepper.  In a large bowl,add the ricotta, parsley and mix together with the liver and onion, adding theparmiggiano until the mix has enough salty flavor.  Set aside and let cool until your pasta isrolled out.

For the pasta, you will need:

2 cups semolina flour for pasta

3 extra large eggs

A pinch of salt

On a large cutting board, make a “bowl” with the flour, andcrack the eggs in the middle.  Rapidlymix the egg and flour together, and then knead the dough until well mixed andfirm, about 5-6 minutes.  Let the doughrest for about 30 minutes.  When ready,roll out the dough very thinly, adding a little flour when needed.  Your pasta should be as thin as possiblewithout breaking, almost transparent.  Ifyou have a ravioli cutter, cut out squares as large or small as youprefer.  I like my ravioli to be about 1½ inches square.  If you don't have aravioli cutter, use a glass about 2-3” in diameter and cut out thecircles.  Place a tablespoon of fillingin each circle or square, and wet the edges with egg wash.  Place the matching piece of pasta on top andseal the edges, making sure there are no holes or gaps, because when cookingthese spaces will open up and run the individual pieces of ravioli.

Allow pasta to dry a little bit, maybe another 20-30minutes.  During this time, boil yourwater.  It is very important to use a lotof water, because you want the temperature of the water to change as little aspossible when adding the ravioli. 

To finish the dish, you will need:

1 stick (1/4lb) of the best quality salted butter you canafford

As much freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano as is pleasingto your palate

1 bunch fresh sage

Coarsely ground fresh black pepper

 Take your fresh sageand remove the leaves from the stem. Chop the leaves coarsely and set them aside.  When the ravioli have been cooked al dente,drain them leaving the pasta wet (don't let them drain too much, you want alittle of that pasta water) and immediately toss with the butter and sage andpepper.  Serve in a big bowl andaccompany with a nice salad and some fresh bread and a big glass of vino.  Let somebody else clean up after they haveenjoyed the fantastic meal you just prepared for them!