Pear and ricotta ravioli with burnt sage butter

Pear & ricotta ravioli with burnt sage butter. You’ll find variants of this dish in many restaurants in Florence.

TWAM-20170325 EMBARGO FOR TWAM 25 MARCH 2017 NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION Pear and ricotta ravioli by Valli Little pic ; supplied

You’ll find variants of this dish served in many restaurants in Florence, Italy. Asparagus is sometimes added to the butter, but I keep mine simple and let the beautiful pear flavours come through. I like to make fresh pasta for this dish, using a pasta machine to roll out the dough. If you are pressed for time, you can use wonton wrappers.

Pear & ricotta ravioli with burnt sage butter

2 firm pears (such as beurre bosc), coarsely grated

100g ricotta

1 cup (100g) grated pecorino, plus extra to serve

¼ cup (55g) mascarpone

1 egg yolk

80g unsalted butter

12 sage leaves

For the pasta

2 2/3 cup (400g) ‘00’ flour

2 eggs, plus 4 yolks

1—2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the pasta dough, place flour, eggs and egg yolks in a food processor with 1 teaspoon salt and blitz until the mixture resembles small pebbles. Add olive oil and pulse until it just comes together (don’t overmix or the pasta will be tough). Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place grated pear, ricotta, pecorino, mascarpone and egg yolk into a mixing bowl. Season and stir with a fork until combined. Divide pasta dough into four equal-sized portions. Lightly dust each piece with flour and roll each portion through a pasta machine, moving through the settings to the thinnest. Lightly dust rolled dough with flour and lay sheets on work surface. Place heaped teaspoons of the filling 5cm apart along the length of two of the sheets. Brush around the filling with water and lay the remaining sheets over the top. Working quickly, press around the filling, trying to expel as much air as possible. Use a sharp knife or ravioli cutter to cut into squares, leaving a border around the filling.

Bring a wide saucepan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, place butter and sage leaves in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring for 1—2 minutes until the butter turns nut brown and the sage is crisp. Set aside. Cook ravioli in batches until they rise to the surface (about 4 minutes). Drain then toss in the sage butter. Serve with extra pecorino. Serves 4—6

TWAM-20170325 EMBARGO FOR TWAM 25 MARCH 2017 NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION chef Valli Little pic; supplied

Sydney-based food writer and cook Valli Little is senior contributing editor at Delicious magazine and the author of 10 cookbooks. Recipe from My Kind of Food by Valli Little (ABC Books, $39.99), out Monday. Photography: Alan Benson