I’ve been on a roll. That is, a silky smooth swathe of golden pasta dough passing through my machine sort of roll.
I’ve spent the majority of a comfortingly rainy week producing, styling, cooking and shooting pasta. Lots of pasta. While my waistline may take offence at my current line of work, it’s certainly made for hearty eating. Just add a log fire (done) and a glass (or two!) of wine.
In celebration of winter comfort food, I’ve partnered with the good folks over at Leopard’s Leap wines to develop one of the delicious recipes from my new favourite cookbook – The Geometry of Pasta. Penned by the pasta-passionate pair Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy, the book is a comprehensive guide aimed at fans of farfalle, lovers of linguine and candour for Capelli d’Angelo. Sound saucy enough for you?
Here’s one of the recipes from the book that I cooked up using Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc both in the sauce and as a pairing with the final dish.
Tuscan-style Ravioli in a Creamy Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 1 hour /Cook time: 3 mins /Serves: 2
You will need:
- 3 XL organic eggs
- 300g extra fine “00” flour
- Pinch of salt
- Fine semolina
- 250g ricotta
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Zest of a lemon
- 5ml ground nutmeg
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh basil, finely chopped
- Coarse ground sea salt and black pepper
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1x 240g sachet of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 5-6 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 60ml Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc
- 250ml cream
- 4-5 sprigs of fresh basil, chopped
- Grated Parmesan, to serve
For the ravioli dough, sift the flour and add a good grind of salt. On a flat surface, turn out the flour and make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs and, using a fork, work into the flour, eventually making a sticky dough. Dust the work surface with flour and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest for half an hour.
To make the filling, combine the ricotta with the Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg and fresh basil in a bowl. Season to taste and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate until needed.
Halve the dough and keep one half wrapped in clingfilm to prevent it from drying out. Using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll out half the dough until you have a thin strip about 8cm wide. Spoon the chilled ricotta mixture along the pasta sheet, working in 10ml dollops spaced equidistantly to allow for an edge. Roll out the remaining pasta and gently drape over the ricotta dollops, cupping your hand around each pocket to press out any air. Seal the edges of the ravioli pockets with a brush of water and if desired, use a ravioli cutter to press out small pockets.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the pinched garlic and the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and sauté until the garlic is soft. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft – a few minutes. Pour in the Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc and cook for a minute. Add in the chopped basil and the drained sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender to blitz the sauce until smooth. Return the sauce to the heat and pour in the cream. Simmer the sauce for a further 2-3 minutes and set aside.
Over high heat, set a pot filled with salted water to boil. Once boiling, add a glug of olive oil and cook the ravioli in batches until al dente. Drain the ravioli. Plate the pasta in warmed bowls and spoon over the creamy tomato sauce. Finally, add a grating of Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves and serve with chilled glasses of Chenin Blanc.
I’m running a little giveaway over on my Instagram profile where one lucky chap can WIN a case of Leopard’s Leap wines as well as a copy of The Geometry of Pasta. Head over here to find out how to enter!
