Raviolo di Uovo

Raviol-o, you ask? Yup, because it’s just one. And how, you wonder, do you justify serving just one raviolo on a plate? Well, when the ravioli is about 4 1/2 inches in diameter and houses not only a hefty portion of truffled ricotta but an entire farm egg? Yup, that’s how! So without further ado we introduce to you to Ravioli di Uovo, a single ravioli made with a whole raw egg yolk that cooks for a mere a minute and then oozes as you break into it with your fork.

The idea arose while planning for an epic New Year’s Eve feast defined by “indulgence.” The initial idea was to fly in a white truffle from Italy and serve simply with fresh linguine, a bit of butter and parmesan. Unfortunately, the white truffle season ended early and the exorbitant prices made us re-think this indulgent pasta dish. Next on the list? The Raviolo di uovo, suggested by Mike of Rooftop Gourmet. For a meal that revolves around all things glamorous and decadent, his suggestion seemed just the thing, and I happily took on the challenge.

While the egg is certainly the star of this dish, you can’t forget about the cheese. So off to South End Formaggio I went to buy our favorite ricotta from Narragansett Creamery, parmesan, and of course, some farm fresh local eggs.

The filling was composed of just a few quality ingredients: ricotta, freshly grated parmesan, salt, pepper, sliced black truffle in olive oil (I had a sample in the pantry that I’ve been eyeing for over a year now) and freshly grated nutmeg.

Next came the dough. Since I made the pasta by hand, I altered the Nella recipe a bit to include more all-purpose flour which is much easier to work with if you aren’t using a machine. Once the dough was rolled out, I used a glass I had in the house to trace a circle, piped in the filling and oh-so-carefully dropped in the yolk from a separated egg.

This is one of those don’t-stomp-touch-anything-breathe-etc. recipes where you just need to concentrate on being super careful with the ultra fragile egg. The result was worth it. Once topped with another layer of pasta, I was left with a beautiful raviolo, filled to capacity with a brilliant orange egg yolk still entact, visible from the thin sheet of dough that covers it. I treated the ravioli (now were talking multiple ravioli, so the -i works) like tiny sleeping babies on the walk over to Mike’s, walking carefully and not letting a sole touch them until it was time to cook.

When the time came, the ravioli took a quick 1 minute swim in boiling water, then another minute in some bubbling butter with thyme and reserved mushroom liquid and then for the shining moment…..the fork pierced the yolk and just as we had been anticipating from the moment the recipe came to mind, the gorgeous ooze of the semi-raw farm egg.

Sometimes I laugh when food is referred to as sexy…but this, my friends, defines sexy food. Try these at home and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Thanks Rooftop Gourmet for the inspiration to create this incredible dish!

 

Almost No Cook Dinners

We know… you don’t even want to hear the word stove today. We get it– it’s too darn hot! If you can bear a mere 2 minutes of heat, here are some fantastic (and cold!) add ins to make a complete dinner with Nella Pasta linguine or ravioli is just about 5 minutes….

-tuna packed in olive oil with arugula, tomatoes and fresh lemon juice (try with our classic linguine)

-fresh chopped tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette and basil/ parsley/ chives and/or herb of your choice (try with any linguine or our zucchini & caramelized onion ravioli)

-throw together a mix of herbs (mint, basil, parsley, chives, green onion) into a food processor with some butter and/or olive oil, add to pasta and mix with a handful of spinach or arugula (try with our roasted beet & goat cheese ravioli or wheat & ground flaxseed linguine)

-peel zucchini, summer squash or carrots into long ribbons and add to hot pasta (the heat from the pasta will wilt the veggies), toss with extra virgin olive oil or your favorite vinaigrette and serve cold or room temperature

-shred some rotisserie chicken (no cooking needed!) and add chopped tomatoes, olives and capers with a lemon vinaigrette

-again shred some rotisserie chicken, tear up some basil and serve with our Broccoli, Feta & Toasted Cashew ravioli (for a way better and healthier version of the ever-so-popular chicken, broccoli & ziti dish)

Your get the idea: fresh veggies (no cooking needed!), a fresh herb, a yummy cheese (fresh mozzarella, feta, goat cheese, shaved parmesan) and some olive oil or vinaigrette and you have yourself a fast, healthy meal that requires only 1-3 minutes cooking time. For more ideas, see the “Simple Summer Pastas” section in the August Issue of Martha Stewart Living. Stay cool!

 

Guest Post! Pot Luck Ravioli Salad, by Amy Copperman

As many of you know, Amy joined the Nella team after graduating the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (also Rachel’s alma mater) in the beginning of the summer. She certainly knows her way around the kitchen, but today we’re also handing over the blog stage to Amy to share a recipe she created for a summer pot luck. Take it away, Amy!

Cooking with Our Ravioli This Summer

“I’ve been working at Nella Pasta for a few months now, and it’s so much fun.  I love helping to create our yummy pasta varieties, and of course, I love tasting all the different flavors!  As we move into the height of summer, it’s exciting to see New England’s local produce being transformed into our pastas.  Nella’s flavors shine on their own, but they are also a great base for of lot of creativity in the kitchen.

For a pot luck in my neighborhood recently, I decided to make a pasta salad using our Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli.  This ravioli is flavored with tarragon, which works well with citrus, so I decided to use preserved lemons to the vinaigrette.  You can buy preserved lemons already made at most specialty stores, but honestly, they are so simple to make—and once you do, you’ll find all sorts of uses for them. Check out this recipe for preserved lemons.

But back to my pasta salad… With the lemons for flavor, I went with watercress and pistachios for crunch.  And voila!  A great salad that disappeared quickly at the pot luck. Here’s what I did:

Pot Luck Ravioli Salad

12 oz. (1 box) Nella Pasta Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli

1 small bunch watercress, washed and trimmed of stems

½ c. shelled pistachios

2 T. preserved lemons, diced small

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. white wine or sherry vinegar

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and lemons in the bottom of a large serving bowl.

2. Following our instructions, cook ravioli 2-3 minutes until tender.

3. Drain the pasta.  While still warm, toss the ravioli with the vinaigrette.

4. Add watercress leaves and pistachios.  Toss together, and adjust for taste.

 

I hope this inspires you to create your own summer meal using Nella Pasta.  Next up on my table: our Zucchini & Carmelized Onion Ravioli with some roasted veggies and pancetta.”

Help us Find the Newest Farmer’s Market Sales Associate to Join our Team!

We’ve been working away over the last couple of months cranking out ravioli in the kitchen and starting up with our first 4 farmers markets of the season. We’ve added two new faces, Fred at the markets and Amy in the kitchen, who have quickly learned the ropes and helped us immensely as our season continues to get busier and busier.

And that’s where you come in…. we’re looking for qualified part-time candidates to assist in the sales of our products for the rest of the 2011 farmers market season. We have markets around the Boston and South Shore area Tuesday-Sunday.  Ideally, anyone interested must be willing to commit to this position from June through the end of October.

The candidate must have their own transportation (SUV a plus) and be willing to travel up to 50 miles per day with gas reimbursement available. Responsibilities will include arriving at our kitchen to pack the car with farmers market supplies (cooler, tent, signage etc.) and the cooler with product.  Next, the candidate will drive to the specified market to set-up the stand, give out samples, sell and inform customers about our product throughout the farmers market. At the end of the market they will breakdown and drive back to the kitchen to drop off excess product (if applicable!) and supplies.

We are looking for an outgoing and responsible individual with a love and knowledge of food and sales experience a plus.

Training will be provided for the right candidate. Various days and hours available (particularly Thursdays starting immediately and Sundays starting in July), please inquire for more information.

Spend the summer outside chatting with fellow food lovers and help us spread the word (and of course, ravioli) about Nella! If you are interested in applying, please send resume and cover letter to Nellapasta@gmail.com and include availability. Also, please describe your favorite meal and why!

 

It’s Farmer’s Market Season!

It’s here, it’s here! After a long (ok really, really long) winter, we’re thrilled to be back in the market scene. We may still be a few weeks away from fresh local produce, but there’s still plenty to be found in the farmers markets including meats, cheeses, hummus, granola, flowers, baked goods and oh yeah, ravioli! We spent this perfect spring day debuting our fresh ravioli at the SOWA farmer’s market with rave reviews and a 2 o’clock sell out. While we’re working away making ravioli for our second Brookline Public School order, make sure to mark down two important dates in your calendar for next week: opening day of the Hingham Farmer’s Market from 10am-2pm on Saturday and the second SOWA market from 10am-4pm on Sunday. We’ll be prepared with lots of ravioli and excited to see you after a long winter season!