Ravioli Tricolore

Festa Della Repubblica is Italian National Day and takes place on the 2nd June each year. It is a celebration which marks the date Italy became a republic after years under a monarchic rule. Celebrated across Italy, it’s usually filled with colourful fireworks, parades and in true Italian style – lots of good food. I have loved learning more about Italian history and traditions whilst working with Grana Padano who have asked me to create a recipe in honour of Festa Della Repubblica this year.

My ravioli Festa Della Repubblica has three different fillings. Each filling echoes the colours of the Italian flag: verde (green), bianco (white) and rosso (red). Each filling is also richly flavoured with fresh ingredients and lots of Grana Padano Riserva. This Grana Padano is aged for over 20 months. It has a complex and almost nutty taste as well as a beautiful crumbly texture. It is perfect in this celebratory pasta dish but if you cannot find Grana Padano Riserva, the classic 9–16-month aged Grana Padano PDO is delicious too. Look out for the characteristic rind (see my photos below) and you cannot go wrong.

Note: This recipe makes a little more filling than you need. The fillings also make a delicious pasta sauce (use as you would a pesto) and are delicious spread on toast too. They will also keep in the fridge for up to four days and can be frozen for up to five months.

Ingredients

| Serves 4-6 |

For the pasta:

290g 00 flour
15g semolina flour
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
2 large eggs

Verde filling (green):

25g tarragon leaves (separated from the stem)
40g basil leaves
200g spinach
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
A pinch of sea salt
75g Grana Padano Riserva, finely grated
100g ricotta

Bianco filling (white):

100 Grana Padano Riserva, finely grated
200g ricotta
A pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon
½ a fresh nutmeg, finely grated

Rosso filling (red):

8 red chilies
2 red peppers
85g blanched almonds
A pinch of salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
75g Grana Padano Riserva, finely grated
Olive oil

For the parsley chilli butter:

70g butter
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Small handful parsley leaves, finely chopped

Method

For the pasta:

I make my pasta dough with a stand mixer, but you can make it by hand too. I have listed both methods below.
To make the pasta, whisk the flours and salt in a bowl and pour onto a clean, flat surface (or whisk directly in the bowl of your stand mixer if using one).
If making by hand, make a well using your hands and add both the egg yolks and eggs. Use a fork to gently whisk the eggs. Then slowly begin to mix in the flour, pulling it in from the edges a little at a time. Continue until all the flour and egg has incorporated and you have a loose dough.
Knead the dough for about 20 minutes until it is smooth and elastic and bounces back slightly when pressed. If you are using your stand mixer attach the dough hook. And with the whisked flour in the bowl, add the egg yolks and eggs and let it beat on the slowest setting for about 10-15 mins.
Wrap the dough in cling film or bees wax wrap and allow it to rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Whilst it rests make your fillings.

For the Rosso filling (red):

I like to make the red filling first as it requires the most time.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, fan setting. Place your almonds on a clean baking tray and cook for 8-10 minutes until they begin to smell fragrant and are golden brown. Allow to cool
Whilst the almonds cook, core and finely slice your red pepper. Arrange on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast for 45 mins until soft and slightly charred in places. Allow to cool
Heat a dry, clean frying pan to a medium high heat and place your whole chilies in the pan. Cook for about 7-10 minutes turning them every so often until they have an even charring. They will crackle and start to pop. Allow to cool
Once the charred chilies are cool, remove their stems and roughly chop. Place the chopped chilies, almonds, peppers, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a good pinch of salt and 2 tbsp olive oil into a food processor and blitz until you have a textured paste. Transfer into a bowl and stir in the finely grated Grana Padano Riserva. Set aside.

For the Verde filling (green):

Place your spinach into a saucepan with a tablespoon of water. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for about three-five mins until the spinach has wilted. Drain and allow to cool
Then using your hands, squeeze as much of the water from the spinach as you can (you should now have roughly 100g). Roughly chop and transfer the spinach to a food processor with the rest of the green filling ingredients and pulse until you have a textured paste.

For the Bianco filling (white):

Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.

For the ravioli:

When the pasta has rested and you have made all the fillings, divide the dough into 4 pieces
If you have a pasta rolling attachment or machine use this to roll out the dough. First, set the machine to its widest setting and send the dough through 10 times, folding it in half each time. Once you have done this, gradually increase the number (making the setting smaller) and send the dough through twice on each setting. Every machine is different, but a good guide is to go to the second smallest setting. For me this is setting 7.
If you do not have a machine don’t worry. Clear a space and lightly dust the surface with 00 flour. You will want a lot of space to roll it out until it’s as flat as a playing card. Then cut the pasta into long strips, roughly 20 cm wide
With a small bowl of pasta flour, a small bowl of water and all the fillings close by, flour a clean large surface
Place the pasta strip on the floured surface so that it is horizontally in front of you. Dot a teaspoon of the fillings in the bottom third of the pasta strip. Make sure you leave about 6cm between each dot of filling
Then using a pastry brush or your finger, draw a line of water all the way down the edge of the pasta as well as between each filling
Gently fold the other sheet of pasta over the fillings and use your fingers to press out as much of the air as possible before securing the filling and pressing to seal. Then use a pasta cutter or knife to cut out your ravioli. Place the cut ravioli onto a floured board
Repeat until you have made all the ravioli
When you are ready to cook the ravioli, bring a large pan of water to the boil. If you have a deep-frying pan this is even better
In a separate small saucepan, melt the butter. Then stir in the chopped parsley and chilli and cover to keep warm
Cook the tricolour ravioli for 3 mins. You may want to do this in batches. Drain using a slotted spoon. Arrange onto serving plates making sure each plate has one or two of each filling. Spoon over the butter and finish with more grated Grana Padano Riserva.

For more pasta recipes try this Summer Gnudi or this Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca.