Recipe courtesy of Robert Irvine

Porchetta Ravioli

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 8 hr (includes cooling time)
  • Active: 7 hr
  • Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Pasta Dough:

Pasta Sauce:

Directions

Special equipment:
a pasta machine; an immersion blender; a meat mallet; butcher's twine; an instant-read thermometer; a ravioli mold, optional
  1. For the porchetta: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Cut the pork butt in a spiral fashion so that the pork butt will be about 1-inch thick and flattens into a sheet. Pound out the sheet of meat with a mallet to an even thickness. Combine the salt, oregano and pepper in a small bowl and season both sides of the pork butt. Remove the sausage from the casing and spread over the pork butt in an even layer. Roll up the pork butt and sausage into a cylinder and truss with butcher's twine.
  2. Heat a large skillet over high heat until smoking hot. Add the grapeseed oil and then carefully place the porchetta roll in the pan fat-side down. Sear the porchetta on all sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the porchetta from the skillet and place in a braising pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the skillet and saute until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  3. Pour the braising liquid over the porchetta, cover with a layer of parchment paper and then a layer of aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake in the oven, basting every 30 minutes with the braising liquid, until the porchetta reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F measured with an instant-read thermometer, 3 to 4 hours. Remove the porchetta from the oven and allow it to cool in the braising liquid.
  4. For the ravioli: Shred the porchetta in a large bowl. Combine the meat with the ricotta and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and hold for sealing the ravioli.
  5. For making the ravioli with a ravioli mold: Cut the Pasta Dough sheets to the size of the molds. Lay one sheet over the mold. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling per indent, depending on size of the molds. Brush the dough not covered by the filling with the egg wash and then lay another piece of pasta over the top. Roll a rolling pin over the top of the mold to seal and cut the ravioli. You should have about 48 ravioli total.
  6. For making the ravioli by hand without a ravioli mold: Cut the Pasta Dough sheets into 3-inch squares. Dollop 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling just off the center of each square toward one of the corners, brush the perimeter of the dough with the egg wash, fold the sheet over the filling, corner to corner, and seal by pressing around the filling with your fingers. You should have about 48 ravioli total.
  7. For serving: Bring the Pasta Sauce to a simmer in a saucepan. Whisk in the butter. Bring 1 gallon water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt to a rapid boil in a large pot. Drop the ravioli in the water and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the ravioli from the water using a skimmer, transfer to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat. Plate 8 ravioli per serving with some sauce in pasta bowls. Garnish with some of the Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

Pasta Dough:

  1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture. Place the eggs, extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon water in the well. Mix the egg mixture with a fork and slowly incorporate the flour until it becomes a ball of dough. The dough should be tacky, but not wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Roll out the dough into thin sheets using a pasta machine. Cut the pasta into desired shapes or cut into sheets for ravioli. Yield: 1 1/2 pounds.

Pasta Sauce:

Yield: 16 to 20 servings (1 gallon)
  1. Combine the whole peeled tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, basil, carrot, oregano, onion and garlic in a large saucepan and pulse with an immersion blender. Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Simmer until the carrots are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.