Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter

Ingredients

• 300g '00' flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 large eggs
• 250g fresh spinach
• 250g full-fat ricotta, drained
• 40g finely grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper
• 90g unsalted butter
• 12 fresh sage leaves

Before you cook

• Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the centre.
• Crack the eggs into the well and beat them with a fork, gradually drawing in flour from the inner edge.
• Once the mixture is too stiff for a fork, knead by hand for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Wilt the spinach in a dry hot pan for 2 minutes, then cool it and squeeze out every bit of water.
• Chop the wilted spinach finely.
• Mix the spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolk and nutmeg, and season well with salt and pepper.

Steps

1. Cut the dough into four pieces and keep three covered while you work.
2. Roll one piece through a pasta machine, folding and reducing the setting each pass, down to the thinnest notch.
3. Lay the sheet on a floured surface and spoon walnut-sized mounds of filling in a row 4cm from the edge, spaced 5cm apart.
4. Fold the sheet over the filling and press out the air around each mound with your fingers before sealing.
5. Cut between the mounds with a fluted wheel to form individual ravioli.
6. Repeat rolling, filling and cutting with the remaining dough.
7. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
8. Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat until it turns golden and smells nutty.
9. Add the sage leaves to the butter and fry for 1 minute until they crisp, then take the pan off the heat.
10. Drop the ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, until they float and the edges are tender.
11. Lift the ravioli straight from the water into the sage butter with a slotted spoon.
12. Toss the ravioli gently in the butter and serve at once with extra Parmesan grated over the top.