i’ve been seeing this dish around. and then i spotted it on ruhlman’s blog . and that was pretty much it for me. call it a defining moment - but i’d already been tempted, and now this pasta had to happen in my kitchen - and soon.
i immediately began mentally preping the raviolo’s by going through the ‘mise’ in my mind. first came the cheese situation. because if i was going to make these beauties, i was going to have to use sheep’s milk ricotta, with a much more compelling flavor than the sweeter and widely available cows milk version. and it’s hard enough to procure this ricotta in a major metropolis - but in middle tn? fuhgeddaboudit. and believe me when i tell you that i gave it all i had. n/a.
so as i am wont to do, i clicked my way to ricotta heaven by simply relinquishing my amex # - yet again - for a pricey foodstuff. but i’ve got to tell you that tony at pastacheese.com came through for me. i love this guy. he’s like the italian uncle you always wanted. sooooo nice. sooooo willing to do whatever it took, working with my schedule, packing it extra cold, calling me back after checking with his supplier. all that for 3 measley pounds of ricotta. it’s flown in from italy, and then it flies out, right to your doorstep - still as fresh as if you were sitting in sardinia sipping a limoncino waiting for your raviolo to arrive. and yes, shipping kills. but damn if it wasn’t worth the airfare…
final talley? $60. and i’d do it again.
so, on a martha re-run (that freakin’ woman gets on my very last nerve - but has undeniably the best guests) odette fada, chef at san domenico’s, whipped up a more wintry version of her raviolo’s using spinach, ricotta, parmigiano and nutmeg, and about $500 (not kidding) of white truffles from alba. so be sure to run and get yourself some this autumn. mmmk? oh, and while you’re getting that, get this - martha actually had the audacity to say "we save up for this one dinner…" and i literally felt myself seethe. it was a very unzen moment for me and i’m not proud… BUT REALLY MARTHA… please spare us the bullcrap as we all know you can shit white truffles from alba, ok?
i stuck with ruhlman all the way. i wasn’t able to get any espellete on the quick, but next time i’ll have it in my pantry (it’s on order). i made do with a sprinkle of cayenne, some organic valencia orange zest, finely minced shallot and chive and salt. my eggs were bought the day before from the amish at the nashville farmers’ market and the pasta was made with ap flour, whole eggs and a touch of water. we rolled it thin and here’s how it all came together…
after about 2 minutes at a slow but steady boil in salted water, the raviolo’s are carefully removed and browned butter is spooned over the top.
if ever there were a pasta that i look forward to perfecting, this would be it. the first try came out nicely but i’m going to try and get some fluted edged round dough cutters and perhaps let the raviolo’s cook an extra minute next time - just to tighten up the yolk a bit more. but don’t get me wrong, it’s a damn sexy dish and everyone was collectively swooning. but this one is absolutely worth getting as close to perfect as you can.
i feel that the ruhlman version is the much better warmer weather option, the orange zest really brightening everything right up. but this winter i’ll definitely try odette’s, with spinach and nutmeg, although depending on the price of truffles, i may be relegated to using just the truffled butter.
and i can totally live with that.
i think…
46 responses so far ↓
1 Vicki // Jul 29, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I’ve been seeing this everywhere too, but I’m scared to try it because what if the white doesn’t cook all the way? Eww. I guess roll the pasta really thin and stick with a short cooking time, but I’m still scared.
2 Julie // Jul 29, 2008 at 11:12 pm
There’s something about the unlikeliness of Tennessee Amish eggs in the same ravioli as produced-in-Italy-and-flown-to-America ricotta that deeply amuses me. A marriage of opposites.
This also appeals to me in the way Italian food often does: simple ingredients combined to make something that’s much greater than its parts.
3 NOBLE PIG // Jul 29, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Oh my goodness, this is art. How beautiful Claudia. I think it looks perfect!
4 Kitt // Jul 30, 2008 at 12:29 am
Oh yum!
If you’re in a rural area, it might be worth seeing if you can find a local source of sheep’s milk, or goat. Homemade ricotta is super-easy to make (though it would take a LOT of milk to make three pounds of it).
I made some the other day (pictures and recipe here) and there was no comparison with store-bought.
5 Heather // Jul 30, 2008 at 12:50 am
Runny eggs are hot sex. I’m sorry, but it’s true. Especially when they come in raviolo form.
6 Amy at Minimally Invasive // Jul 30, 2008 at 4:09 am
Oooh, I was just thinking I needed to make this again over the weekend. Maybe I should look around for the sheep’s milk ricotta first, though. Mmmmm….
7 nina // Jul 30, 2008 at 5:14 am
How amazing is this…..all my favorites…runny yokes, pasta, cheese…mmmmmmmI love it!!!
8 Donald // Jul 30, 2008 at 6:06 am
$60 ricotta???!!! Wow!
Okay, but look at that pasta!
I saw it on his site as well and I was kinda perplexed.
That is truly a sexy dish.
9 Mary Coleman // Jul 30, 2008 at 7:27 am
“please spare us the bullshit as we all know you can shit white truffles from alba, ok?”
you’re killin’ me here, Claudia!!
10 jim voorhies // Jul 30, 2008 at 8:38 am
She has to skrimp and save up to get those white truffles. She probably has to cut back on the beluga for a week.
11 Lynn // Jul 30, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’m going to become a troll and move in under your porch. If you notice that your leftovers are mysteriously disappearing, I have no idea where they went.
Not trolling up during dinner will be the hardest part of my plan!
Again, you are the most fabulous human! Your creations are stunning!
12 Becky And The Beanstock // Jul 30, 2008 at 8:55 am
I’ve been drooling over the recipe since I saw it on Ruhlman’s blog too. The egg scares me a bit though — I’d hate to be responsible for poisoning all my friends. It looks so gorgeous though, and yummy… (Lately I’ve been following a new rule: if it scares you, that means you should do it. So I guess this dish is on my list).
13 Becky And The Beanstock // Jul 30, 2008 at 9:01 am
Also, when you get the esplette, I’ll be curious to hear about it. I have quite an array of roasted, toasted, dried, powdered and flaked peppers in my cupboard, but there’s always room for one more. Also, I’ve been fascinated with Basque-style cooking lately. So do give us the lowdown on it when you use it.
14 Chris // Jul 30, 2008 at 9:18 am
Let me just say that I was lucky enough to get to try this dish and it is a good as it looks.
Envy me.
15 Robert // Jul 30, 2008 at 9:38 am
Oooh, oooh, oooh I’m making that. I’m making that.
Have I ever mentioned Bottarga Alfredo before? Anchovie Riccota, dust the whole mess with Espellete.
Stop, STOP, your hurting my imagination……….
16 lucy // Jul 30, 2008 at 11:06 am
and then you invited me over for dinner…
17 Ann // Jul 30, 2008 at 11:07 am
Wasn’t it awesome? And thanks for the link!
18 joycooks // Jul 30, 2008 at 3:18 pm
What beauties! I’d like to know how big they actually were - they seem huge! I know you’ve seen my report on the Italian ravioli made in the candy shape… yum! And, yes, we must get together soon to catch up. And, yes, I think that was sheep’s milk ricotta, though I wish I had asked to be sure!
19 [eatingclub] vancouver || js // Jul 30, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Wow.
$60 ain’t that bad, eh? Considering how perfect this is, it’s a small price to pay.
20 Kevin // Jul 30, 2008 at 5:32 pm
This ravioli looks really good! Great shot of the yolk oozing out.
21 We Are Never Full // Jul 30, 2008 at 9:14 pm
perfection.
i don’t care if they’re everywhere on the web - they are beautiful and delicious-looking. When I saw this on Ruhlman’s blog, I wanted to dive in.
22 chefectomy // Jul 30, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Very sexy, love the zest idea. I ate this at Jamin in Paris. Love at first bite. Thanks for reminding me how great that was.
23 Lesley // Jul 31, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Oh my, that looks rich. Riiiiich.
24 Mal Carne // Jul 31, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Awesome.
Just might move to Nashvegas if you’ll make that.
25 Aimee // Jul 31, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Those look amazing. I’m new to town and trying to figure out where to buy all sorts of things, so I see I need also to meet the mail order Italian cheese uncle. Good to know.
26 E for KC // Jul 31, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Claudia-you are a true foodie! I don’t know many people who would shell out 60 bucks to fly in cheese from Italy. It looks and sounds like it was completely worth it. Well done!
27 TaratheFoodie // Jul 31, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Picture of egg yolk oozing out of butter drenched homemade ravioli = MONEY SHOT.
MMMMmmmmm…
Sorry, was that inappropriate? haha
28 Traci @ Soup of The Day // Jul 31, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Nice. That looks unbelievable.
29 canarygirl // Aug 1, 2008 at 3:00 am
OMG. I think I may have just fainted. I’ll need a raviolo or 2 (or 4) to be fully revived. I’ll just wait here on the floor while you fetch it for me. k?
Simply gorgeous, Claudia.
30 jim voorhies // Aug 1, 2008 at 9:31 am
I keep coming back here wondering about the pasta. The recipe you used is like the one I use with whole eggs , but using primarily the yolks is big too in pasta-making. I’m wondering if using yolk-based pasta would subdue/interfere with the uovo taste.
You may need to do a testing akin to the cupcakes, except that would be revisiting a recipe and your poor guy never gets anything twice, right?
I love the idea of shallots, chive & zest.
31 lifeinrecipes // Aug 1, 2008 at 10:37 am
I don’t know Heather, but what she said.
32 ruhlman // Aug 1, 2008 at 12:35 pm
nice work claudia! i love the shot where the cheese mimics the white of the egg.
and i agree, i’d go three to four minutes on the cooking
33 TaratheFoodie // Aug 1, 2008 at 6:25 pm
By the way, Claudia, you’ve been nominated! Oh yes, you have! Take a look! http://tarathefoodie.blogspot.com/2008/08/spreading-love.html
34 Brittany // Aug 1, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Fucking A.
You make the best food. I want.
35 Lorelia Jones // Aug 1, 2008 at 8:15 pm
This looks like a perfect first course. I will make this but use regular ricotta cheese. Can I use lemon zest?
36 Lazzaroli // Aug 2, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Awesome!Very sharp, very large, and very appetizing…Crostini has a new friend.
37 Peter // Aug 2, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I’m loving egg yolks more and more in my old age. Nice one.
38 melissa // Aug 2, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I’ve seen this around a bit lately too… and this is just reason #467 why I need to be making my own pasta.
Looks great.
39 Nate // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:21 am
Wow. and wow again.
40 White On Rice Couple // Aug 6, 2008 at 10:19 am
How beautiful is this? Eggs yolks are pure pleasure for me.
I look forward to your spinach and nutmeg write up…but I have to wait till winter! Bummer.
41 Shari // Aug 7, 2008 at 1:13 am
Ricotta flown in from Italy!?! Now, that’s some ravioli! Wow.
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
42 Plantation Caribbean Restaurant // Aug 12, 2008 at 10:23 am
uovo raviolo looks delicious. This is one dish that I would love to try and I am going to.
43 Mari // Aug 13, 2008 at 10:19 am
If there is anything that I am glad for, it’s the fact that I grew into a taste for runny egg yolks…
oh how i love thee, warm golden yolk.
44 cook eat FRET - toasted farro, fennel and orange salad // Aug 21, 2008 at 6:42 pm
[...] just your average lima bean saladthe remarkable bundt panwhat’s mediterranean for huevos rancheros?uovo ravioloalineapizza partyseared scallops with a red pepper sauce archives Select Month August 2008 [...]
45 Minimally Invasive » Are you ready for some football (-shaped nuggets of deliciosity)? // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:25 am
[...] to revisit the egg yolk ravioli I made a few months ago, only with sheep’s milk ricotta per cook eat FRET’s suggestion, but with all of the excess moisture in the air I decided not to test my [...]
46 lo // Apr 13, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Speechless, Claudia.
Absolutely speechless.
You are my runny yolked hero.
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