Serves 4 as an entree (makes 18 ravioli, at 8cm diameter)
for the pasta:
200g 00 durum wheat flour
2 large eggs
for the filling:
2 ripe pears (230g peeled and cored)
10g unsalted butter
125g creamy blue cheese or taleggio (sweet Gorgonzola)
salt and pepper to taste
semolina flour for dusting
100g unsalted butter (for the sauce)
extra freshly ground pepper
For the sauce:
One tablespoon butter
100g Parma ham
1 cup cream
1 cup Prosecco
1/3 cup crushed walnuts
Salt & Black pepper
To make the pasta, put the flour in a mound on your work surface and make a well in the centre. Break open the two eggs into it and either using your finger tips or a fork, gradually incorporate the flour until it is all mixed in to the eggs. Knead until smooth (around 5 minutes). Form a ball with the dough, wrap in cling film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes (a couple of hours is fine).
In the meantime, make the filling. Peel and core the pears, chopping them into small dice. Place them with 10g butter in a small pan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Mix the Gorgonzola in a bowl until smooth and add the cooled pears, fold through until homogeneous and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Divide the dough in two, keeping one piece wrapped in cling film while you work on the other one. Make the pasta by running it through your pasta machine until it is the desired thickness (I ran it through to the fourth thinnest setting “6” on a Marcato pasta machine).
I used an 8 cm diameter ravioli cutter to make my ravioli. Place heaped teaspoons of filling on your pasta sheet. Wet your finger with water and run it around the filling before folding the pasta onto itself so that the little mounds of filling are completely covered by pasta. Push down around the filling so that the pasta is well sealed, taking care not to trap air into the raviolo. Use your ravioli cutter to make circle around the filling where you have sealed the pasta. Lightly dust the ravioli with semolina flour. Repeat, keeping the prepared ravioli covered by a clean teatowel as you make others so they do not dry out.
Place a large pot of well-salted water on the stove and bring to the boil. Drop in the ravioli when the water boils and cook until al dente (mine took 6-7 minutes).
Whilst the ravioli are cooking, put butter in the pan and then add the Parma ham cut in pieces, let cook until brown and combine the prosecco. When the prosecco evaporates add the walnuts, cream, Salt & pepper and mix the ravioli with the sauce.