ANNE BURRELL RECIPES: RAVIOLO AL'UOVO (RICOTTA-NESTLED EGG YOLK) RECIPE

Serves: 8 

Time: About 30 minutes with premade pasta dough 

After culinary school, I spent a year in Italy learning to cook Italian food the way the Italians do, the right way. That year was probably one of the most important of my education; I learned a ton from the chefs I worked for-techniques and methods I still rely on every day. I also learned how to make this dish-which is a total showstopper Uovo means "egg," and that's what this dish is all about: a lovely golden egg yolk nestled in a bed of creamy ricotta cheese all wrapped up in a tender blanket of pasta. Cut these lovelies open and the yolk flows out of the center.

It's an incredibly sophisticated and sexy dish, but deceivingly easy to make-the only catch is you have to cook the raviolis in batches. I realize this may seem like a pain, but it's really the best approach as these ravs are very fragile (and they do cook really quickly, so it's actually not that big a deal). I promise it's worth it, because this recipe will make you a rock star.

MISE EN PLACE 

2 cups ricotta cheese 

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, plus more for garnish 

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 

2 large eggs plus 8 large egg yolks 

Kosher salt 

All-purpose flour, as needed 

½ recipe Chef Anne's All-Purpose Pasta Dough (page 102), rolled for ravioli 

Semolina flour, as needed 

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 

2 cups chicken stock (see page 85) ¼ cup chopped fresh sage leaves

DIRECTIONS 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parm, parsley, and 2 whole eggs; mix well and season with salt. 

2. Dust a clean work surface lightly with all-purpose flour and lay out two sheets of pasta about 12 inches long; brush them lightly with water. Equally space 4 dollops of the ricotta mixture on each pasta sheet; then use a spoon to make a "nest" or small hole in the center of each dollop. Carefully separate the remaining eggs (reserve the whites for another purpose) and put a yolk in each ricotta "nest"—the ricotta should lovingly nestle each yolk (if a yolk breaks, scoop it out with a spoon and don't use it). 

3. Cover the ricotta nests and egg yolk with another sheet of pasta. Use your index fingers to press around each ricotta nest to seal the edges, then use a nuted ring cutter or dough roller to cut around each ravioli (they should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter). Reserve the ravioli on a tray generously dusted with semolina. 

4. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan, melt half the butter and add half of the chicken stock (you're going to use the remainder for your next batch); season with salt and toss in half the sage. Bring this to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). 

5. Add 4 of the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Carefully move ravioli from water to butter and chicken stock in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes using a spoon. If the sauce reduces too much, add a few drops of the pasta cooking water. The sauce should cling to the ravioli in a buttery hug. 

6. Place ravioli on plates, add extra sauce, and top with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Repeat with the remaining butter, stock, sage, and ravioli. Molto sexy! 

Save the leftover egg whites for another purpose— you can even freeze them if you like. 

Also read Culinary Star Anne Burrell: Dishing on Food, Fame, and Living Life with Flair

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