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CLASSIC pasta		ravioli "al Palazzo"

Home Pasta Risotto Wine Ingredients Restaurants Library Editor's page E-mail to the editor		Chef Mario Romano of the restaurant Al Palazzo at the Palazzo Murat in Positano, shares with us his very creative, elegant and superbly tasteful recipe for an almond flour ravioli pasta filled with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes and served in an asparagus sauce. This dish makes a beautiful presentation, with a delightful combination of special tastes. for the pasta: three-quarters cup regular flour three quarters cup almond flour* two large eggs one-eighth cup water one quarter teaspoon salt we were unable to get almond flour so we improvised, very successfully. We took one-half cup of almonds, about 3.5 ounces, and pulverized them in a food processor. We then used one and one-quarter cup of regular flour and the pulverized almonds, mixed thoroughly. This gave us a slightly rough-surfaced pasta that was was wonderful. To make the pasta, see how to make fresh pasta. (after mixing the eggs into the flour, add the water and salt and mix some more before kneading). for the filling:* seven ounces of goat cheese (we used Boucheron) one ounce chives three and a half ounces of sun dried tomatoes Get the goat cheese to room temperature, or slightly warmer: soft and pliable. In a food processor, chop the sun dried tomatoes until they are very tiny. Add the cheese and mix them thoroughly in the processor. Add the chives and mix a little more. To make this ravioli, we used a slightly more hand-crafted approach. We took the sheets of almond pasta (beautiful to look at) from the pasta machine, and cut them into individual strips about 2 1/4 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long. We put about 1/4 teaspoon of the filling centered in the top half of the strip of pasta. We then folded the strip in half, bringing the bottom edge to the top. and pushing on the edges of the pasta to seal them. To thoroughly seal them, and to make the ravioli picture-perfect, we ran the pastry, or ravioli, cutter wheel along all four edges, effectively trimming the individual ravioli to a final 2-inch by 2-inch square. (we would re-process the trimmings back to sheets on the pasta machine until we used all the pasta). This process resulted in about 50 individual ravioli. for the sauce: eight ounces of asparagus one-quarter cup olive oil two ounces of potatoes one-half cup vegetable stock one half teaspoon salt one garlic clove, peeled and chopped Trim the asparagus by breaking off the rough ends. Trim and save the tips. Cut the spears into about one-inch pieces. Cut the potatoes into half inch squares. Heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and let it start to sizzle. Add the asparagus, the salt and the potatoes cook for about three minutes. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Let cool and put the sauce into the food processor and liquify it. Pass the sauce through a strainer to get it real smooth. Cook the ravioli: In four quarts of boiling water and a tablespoon of salt, and the the ravioli. Cook until properly done, testing as you got. Drain. Serve: put some sauce, about two tablespoons or so, on each plate, and arrange a serving portion of the ravioli on the sauce. Add an asparagus tip and a touch of sun-dried tomatoes (and maybe some lavender flours if you have them) on top of the ravioli; add a quarter teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, and serve. >>alternate sauce: this ravioli is so tasteful, that it also works well with a very simple sauce. Put three tablespoons of butter, a quarter cup of vegetable or chicken stock, a quarter cup of white wine, and a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, into a saute pan. Cook until it bubbles and gets to the consistency you like. Either add the ravioli, very carefully, to the sauce in the saute pan, or, better yet, put the ravioli on the serving plate and add the sauce.