Nduja and burrata ravioli

Serves 3-4  

Preparation time: 1 hour
Resting time: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Fresh pasta is really not hard to make and this ravioli is no exception. You will however need a pasta machine and it will require some juggling towards the end.

Ingredients
1 egg, beaten 
25g parmesan, shaved or grated 
50g pine nuts 
1 tbsp fresh basil, cut or torn smaller 
25g rocket  
Freshly ground black pepper 

For the pasta 
300g 00 flour 
1½ tbsp water 
1½ tsp salt 
3 eggs 
1½ tbsp olive oil 

For the filling 
100g burrata 
80g nduja, at room temperature  
½ tsp salt 
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 tbsp grated parmesan 

For the sauce 
150ml chicken stock 
25g butter 
Juice of ½ a lemon  
½ tsp sugar 
¼ tsp ground white pepper 

Equipment needed 
Pasta machine 
6cm round cutter  

Method
Start with your pasta dough.   

Put all of the ingredients in a food mixer with a dough hook and bring the ingredients together on a slowish speed.  Once the ingredients have come together turn the machine up to medium and knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes until smooth. If you prefer to do this by hand then put the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.  Put the eggs, water and olive oil into the well and with a fork bring it all together by slowly stirring the egg mixture around so it slowly incorporates the flour, switching to your hand as the mixture gets stiff.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until perfectly smooth which will take 5-10 minutes.   

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and put into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.  

Put the oven on to 180c and put the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes.  

After the pasta has rested turn to the filling. Break the burrata open into a bowl and once all of the creamy cheese from the middle is in your bowl, put the outer firm layer of cheese on your chopping board, cut fairly small and also put into the bowl.  Cut up the nduja fairly small and also put into the bowl along with the salt, roughly 8 grinds of freshly ground black pepper and parmesan and mix until smooth and combined.  Put to one side.

Flatten the dough with a rolling pin making sure it keeps to the width of your pasta machine. Cut it in half lengthways and put half back under the clingfilm.  Start passing your pasta through the pasta machine and pass the pasta through each setting 3 times, gradually narrowing the setting until your pasta is thin enough to see your hand through it.  My pasta machine goes From 0 (the largest) to 9 (the thinnest) and I start at 0 and usually stop at 7 for ravioli.  Every few dials down put a very, very light dusting of flour over your sheet to stop it becoming sticky and unworkable.  If the pasta gets too long for you and starts to feel uncomfortable passing it through the machine then cut it in halfway lengthways (again making sure you cover the waiting pasta dough with clingfilm). Cover and repeat the process with the other piece of dough.   

You now need to cut out the ravioli shapes, I usually use a 6cm cutter but you can make any size you like - I have made large ones and they work just as well.  Lay one pasta sheet on a clean surface and with your cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can.  Count how many pieces of pasta you have before covering with cling film.   Repeat with the other half of pasta and count to ensure you have the same number of pieces, again covering with cling film.  Now when you fill you can just put in a tsp of filling or if you want everything to be completely equal then on a plate measure out little balls of filling equal to the number of ravioli you can make (remembering each ravioli will need 2 little rounds). 

You need to work fairly fast as you don’t want the pasta to dry out.  Beat your egg in a bowl and put to one side.  Get a plate and put a dusting of flour or semolina (or a combination) and a sheet of cling film large enough to cover your plate.  Take 6 pasta rounds out from under your sheet and put a tsp of the filling on 3 pieces of pasta, being careful to keep the mixture in the centre so you can seal your ravioli properly. 

Take one bottom half and a top half and seal the two sides together by dipping your finger into egg and running around the edge of the bottom half of the ravioli, put the top piece of pasta on and with your hands, go around the edge of the ravioli, carefully pushing out any air bubbles.  Place on your dusted plate and cover with the cling film as you go. Repeat with the remaining pasta.  If you are not using immediately, ensure the cling film is sealed and put into the fridge. 

When you want to eat: put the stock into a small pan and start to reduce by roughly a third.   

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the ravioli for 3-4 minutes.  

Once your ravioli goes in, finish the sauce.  Add the butter and emulsify by gently whisking together, add the lemon juice, sugar and white pepper and put to one side. 

Carefully remove the ravioli from the water using a slotted spoon remembering that they will be delicate once cooked.  

Put the ravioli into bowls and finish with the sauce.  Top with the rocket, basil, pine nuts, parmesan and finely some freshly ground black pepper.