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Beer Ricotta Raviolo with Egg and Herb Butter Sauce

Adapted from Pasta, Pretty Please by Linda Miller Nicholson
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Green Dough*:

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 punch flat leaf parsley
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ¼ cups “00” pasta flour

For the Red-Orange Dough:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ¼ cups “00” pasta flour
  • ¼ cup tomato paste

For the Ricotta:

  • 3 cups whole milk do not use Ultra-Pasterized, it won’t work
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup Saison beer Plus 2 tablespoons divided
  • 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar you can also use lemon juice, or a combination of the two

For the Filling:

  • 6 large egg yolks

For the Sauce:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 large leaves sage minced
  • Leaves from 1 sprig rosemary chopped
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • Salt to taste the amount of salt you need will be dependent on the broth you use
  • ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan

Instructions
 

Make the ricotta:

  • In a pot over medium high heat (do not use an aluminum pan) add the milk, cream, salt and 1/3 cup beer.
  • Clip a cooking thermometer onto the side of the pan.
  • Bring the liquid to 190°F degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. Keep a close eye on it, the liquid reaches and passes 190 very quickly and you don’t want it rising above 200.
  • Remove from heat, add the 2 tablespoons beer and then the vinegar (or lemon juice) and stir gently once or twice. It should curdle immediately. Allow to sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
  • Line a large strainer with 1 or 2 layers of cheesecloth; place the strainer in the sink over a large bowl.
  • Pour the ricotta into the strainer and allow to drain for 15 to 30 minutes and up to an hour (the longer it drains, the firmer the consistency)
  • Place in an air-tight container and store in the fridge, can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Make the green dough (skip if you aren't making the decorations):

  • In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the salt, baking soda and 8 cups water to a boil. Add the parsley and boil it for 15 seconds, remove it and place in a strainer, run under cold water to blanche. Drain and press out the water.
  • Add the parsley to a blender along with the eggs, blend first on low speed, then increase the speed and green liquid until smooth.
  • Strain the puree with a fine mesh strainer, reserving the green liquid and discarding the pulp.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour and puree. Mix on low speed until a ball of dough forms. Raise the speed to medium and continue to knead for 3 minutes (or by hand for 6-8 minutes) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (you can also refrigerate the well-wrapped dough for up to three days).

Make the red-orange dough:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, eggs and tomato paste. Mix on low speed until a ball of dough forms. Raise the speed to medium and continue to knead for 3 minutes (or by hand for 6-8 minutes) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (you can also refrigerate the well-wrapped dough for up to three days).
  • *(skip to step 17 if you aren’t making a decoration) Cut the green dough into four equal sized pieces. Roll one piece out several times to make it thin enough to pass through your dough roller (wrap up the remaining pieces so they don’t dry out).
  • Pass through your dough roller on the widest setting, then again. Close the dough roller one more stop to make it thinner (one away from the widest setting), pass the dough through twice. Fold into thirds, like a letter going into an envelope. Pass through your dough roller again with the folded ends on the sides (this will make the sides of the dough sheet straight rather than jagged).
  • Continue to pass through the dough roller stopping down to a thinner setting every two passes until you reach halfway between the thinnest and thickest setting.
  • Using a cookie cutter, cut out 6 of your desired decoration shapes, set aside while you work on the rest of the Raviolo.
  • Cut the red-orange dough into four equal sized pieces. Roll one piece out several times to make it thin enough to pass through your dough roller (wrap up the remaining pieces so they don’t dry out).
  • Pass through your dough roller on the widest setting, then again. Close the dough roller one more stop to make it thinner (one away from the widest setting), pass the dough through twice. Fold into thirds, like a letter going into an envelope. Pass through your dough roller again with the folded ends on the sides (this will make the sides of the dough sheet straight rather than jagged).
  • Continue to pass through the dough roller stopping down to a thinner setting every two passes until you reach two stops away from the thinnest setting.
  • Repeat for one more piece of red-orange dough.

Make the Raviolo:

  • Lay the pasta sheets on a flat surface lightly dusted with flour.
  • If using a decoration, brush the top of one sheet of pasta with water. Brush the bottom side of the green pasta decoration with water. Place the decorations evenly spaced every 6-8 inches on the sheet of dough. Gently roll with a rolling pin to press together and adhere.
  • Add the ricotta to a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off.
  • Make circles of ricotta (a ricotta “nest”) on the blank pasta sheet evenly spaced every 6-8 inches. Nests should be about 3 inches across with a well big enough to just nestle an egg yolk into.
  • Place one unbroken yolk into each nest. Brush the pasta with water around each nest.
  • Carefully move the sheet of pasta with the green decorations on top of the sheet with the ricotta nests. Line the sheet up so that the green decorations are directly above the egg yolks.
  • Press firmly to adhere the top sheet of pasta to the bottom, taking care to remove all the air and seal the dough together.
  • Cut each Raviolo between each nest making 6 individual Raviolo. Allow to dry for about 15 minutes, flip over and allow the bottom to dry for about another 10 minutes.
  • Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water.
  • In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, sage and rosemary, cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the broth, cooking until warmed, salt to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer gently but not boil.
  • One at a time gently add the Raviolo to the boiling water, boil for 2 minutes. Using a large slotted spoon or a Spider, gently remove and allow all the water to drain off. Add to the sauce, cooking for an additional 3 minutes in the sauce while gently spooning the hot butter on top of the Raviolo.
  • Add to a plate with a spoonful of sauce, top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, serve immediately.

Notes

The green pasta decoration is optional. I used a hop flower cookie cutter, but any cookie cutter will do. Feel free to skip this step, it's mostly asthetic and skipping it will not diminish the overall flavor of the dish.