Difficulty: Medium
Feeds: 4 people
Cooking time: 1.5- 2 hours
Prepare the Pasta Dough: Start by making a fresh batch of pasta using my Basic Pasta Dough recipe. Once kneaded and rested, set it aside while you prepare the filling.
Make the Filling: In a bowl, combine ricotta, lemon zest, a generous shaving of parmesan, EVOO, salt & pepper to taste. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Rest the Filling: Once seasoned and homogenised, transfer the mixture into a piping bag. Let it rest in the fridge while you prepare the sauce- this helps it firm up slightly for easier filling later.
Prepare the Tomato Sauce: In a pot, add olive oil and lightly crushed garlic cloves. Let them simmer gently for 5–10 minutes on low heat, allowing the oil to infuse without browning the garlic. Add passata and fresh basil, then cook slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour until thickened. This will be your base sauce.
Roll Out the Dough: Using a pasta roller, roll out the dough to a thin-to-medium thickness. For reference, my roller was set to the third-last setting. The sheets should be smooth and elastic but not too thin to tear.
Assemble the Ravioli: Pipe the chilled ricotta filling onto one sheet of pasta, leaving space between each mound. Fold over or place another sheet on top, pressing gently around the filling to remove air pockets. Seal firmly to prevent leaks.
Cook the Ravioli: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season generously with salt. Add the ravioli and cook until they float to the surface- this usually takes a few minutes.
Combine with Sauce: In a separate pan, warm a ladle of the tomato sauce and loosen it with a splash of pasta water. Add the cooked ravioli and toss gently to coat. Finish with a generous shaving of parmesan and adjust seasoning to taste.
Plate & Finish: To serve, spoon some extra sauce over the ravioli, top with more parmesan, and finish with a drizzle of evoo.