Australian_Gourmet_Traveller_2017

300 gm curly kale or cavolo

nero, leaves coarsely

chopped, stems discarded

250 gm firm ricotta, drained

100 gm parmesan or pecorino,

grated, plus extra to serve

1 egg

30 gm plain flour, plus extra

for dusting

¼ tsp finely grated nutmeg

BACON, BUTTER AND

SAGE SAUCE

100 gm unsalted butter

150 gm pancetta or bacon, cut

into small strips

10 sage leaves

30 gm pine nuts, toasted

120 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 small Spanish onion, finely

chopped

2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

400 gm canned plum tomatoes

¾ cup day-old crustless

country-style bread, torn

⅔ cup (loosely packed) basil,

coarsely chopped

1 quantity of fresh pasta

(see recipe p133)

Coarse semolina or “00”

flour, for dusting

25 gm butter, diced

Extra-virgin olive oil and

grated parmesan, to serve

MOZZARELLA CREAM

125 gm mozzarella, coarsely

chopped, liquid reserved

125 ml (½ cup) double cream

125 gm unsalted butter, coarsely

chopped

3 Take half the fresh pasta

(keep remaining covered) and

halve again. Flour the work

surface but don’t flour top side

of pasta or it will be hard to

seal. Working with a piece at

a time, roll with a rolling pin or

pasta machine until you can see

your hand through it. If using

a pasta machine, set it on the

second-to-last setting – the very

last setting makes the thinnest

pasta, but this is too fragile for

ravioli. Roll both pieces of

dough into equal-sized sheets.

Dot heaped teaspoonfuls of

filling at even intervals (two

fingers’ width apart is ideal) on

one sheet and place the other

sheet over the top. Press down

around filling to expel air and

seal. Using a pasta wheel or

a sharp knife, cut ravioli into

5cm squares, then place on

a surface dusted with flour

or semolina (semolina is good

• it doesn’t stick to the pasta).
  Repeat with remaining pasta
  until all the filling is used.

Ravioli filled with tomato and bread

in a mozzarella cream SERVES 6

“This is one of Daniele Sera’s signature dishes at hotel Castello

di Casole in central Tuscany,” says Katie. “He has taken a typical

Tuscan recipe for tomato, basil and bread soup and made it into

a filling for fresh pasta. These tangy parcels are served in a warm

bath of melted mozzarella and cream.” Pictured p130.

Kale and ricotta gnocchi in sage and bacon butter SERVES 4-6

“In Florence, these are called gnocchi gnudi, meaning naked gnocchi, because they’re

like ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta only without their pasta clothes,” says Katie.

“If you don’t have kale, use 200 grams cooked and well-squeezed spinach or silverbeet

leaves instead. For a vegetarian version of this dish, omit the bacon from the sauce.”

1 Boil kale or cavolo nero in

salted water for 10 minutes,

drain well and set aside.

When cool enough to handle,

thoroughly squeeze out excess

water and finely chop in a food

processor or by hand, then

transfer to a bowl. Add ricotta,

parmesan, egg, flour and

nutmeg, season to taste and stir

to combine. The mixture should

be firm enough to handle and

not wet and sticky. If it’s too

sticky, add a little more flour

to the mix. Roll mixture into

walnut-sized balls, ensuring

they’re tightly packed so they

don’t break up during cooking,

and place on a floured tray.

If you’re not cooking them

Let the water come back up to

the boil and cook until gnocchi

rise to the surface (3-4 minutes).

Let them bob around for a further

minute, then carefully remove

with a slotted spoon and lower

them gently into butter sauce.

Fry gnocchi in sauce for a few

minutes until lightly browned.

Stir in pine nuts and serve

scattered with grated parmesan.

1 Heat oil in a saucepan over

medium heat. Add onion and

garlic, season to taste and

sauté until onion has softened

(5-7 minutes). Add tomatoes

and crush with a potato masher.

Fill tomato can to a quarter with

cold water to rinse, then add to

pan. Simmer uncovered until

pulpy (40 minutes) and season

to taste. Transfer 150ml to

a saucepan (reserve remaining

for another use).

2 Soak bread in a small bowl of

cold water until soaked through.

Squeeze out excess water, then

add to tomato sauce and stir

over medium heat to combine.

Stir in basil and simmer over low

heat until bread has broken

down and thickened the sauce

(15 minutes). Cool.

straight away, loosely cover

them and refrigerate for

up to a day.

2 For bacon, butter and sage

sauce, melt butter in a large

frying pan over medium-high

heat. Add bacon and sage, and

season to taste. Fry until bacon

and sage are lightly browned

(4-5 minutes). Add a ladleful of

hot water and stir well. Leave

sauce over a very low heat

while you cook the gnocchi.

3 Bring a large saucepan of

well-salted water to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium –

unlike when cooking pasta,

you want a slow rolling boil,

not a rapid boil. Drop gnocchi

carefully into boiling water.

4 For mozzarella cream, stir

mozzarella and its liquid, cream

and butter in a saucepan over

high heat until cheese melts

(4-5 minutes). Pass through

a sieve to remove any small

lumps of cheese and season

with salt to taste. Return to

pan and keep sauce warm

over gentle heat.

5 Meanwhile, cook ravioli in

well-salted boiling water for just

2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer

to a warm dish, add butter and

toss to combine – this stops

pasta sticking together. Pour

a ladleful of mozzarella cream

into each serving bowl and

place pasta on top. Drizzle with

olive oil, sprinkle with grated

parmesan, season with black

pepper and serve. ➤

134 GOURMET TRAVELLER