This is one of my favorite meat filled raviolis. And it is for the die hard cook. Not for the amateur food critic and bloggers that grace our restaurant dining tables. Or the so called foodies who are an experts on everything but nothing. Yes my friends this recipe is intended for a real cook. I dare you to try it. What I love most about the filling is the fact that all of the braising vegetables are incorporated into the filling. And the only liquid used is red wine and water. The Italians use water in much of their soups and braising liquids to keep the flavor of what they are cooking pure. You don't need to add a rich stock to the braise because you don't want the filling to be gelatinous and wet which will make the pasta dough wet. You just want to keep the integrity of the rich short rib. The second thing I love about this recipe is the fact that the sauce is thickened with a chicken liver puree fortified with pancetta, thyme, onions, capers, balsamic vinegar and sherry vinegar. Don't let the chicken liver puree mislead you. It holds up to but doesn't overpower the rich short rib ravioli and lends a rich flavor to the sauce.
Makes about 60 ravioli
Short Rib Filling
3 TBLS of extra virgin olive oil In a large, ovenproof skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over
1 White Onion, small dice medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and and lower the heat
1/2 Celery stalk, cut into small dice to medium, cook until soft and barely browned around the
2 Pounds of Boneless beef shortrib, edges. Take out the vegetables and transfer to a plate. Increase
trimmed and cut into large chunks the heat to high and add the seasoned room temperature short
2 cups of red wine ribs. Working in batches and not crowding the pan. Brown the
1 cup of hand torn San Marzano, meat on all sides. Add back the vegetables and add the wine.
tomatoes Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a
1 tsp of fresh rosemary, chopped simmer. Stir in the tomatoes and rosemary. Allow the mixture
1 recipe of my Basic Pasta Dough, to come to a boil. If you need to add water to barely cover then
see "Peas of Mind" Post do so.
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper note: I also love to add about one cup of portobello mushroom
with the vegetables. It gives a nice texture and depth to the mix.
Chicken Liver Toscani1 pound chicken liver, cleaned
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, small dice
3/4 cup finely diced white onion
2 teaspoons thyme
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
splash sherry vinegar
1/4 pound unsalted butter,
cut into small cubes and slightly softened
season the livers with salt and pepper on both sides
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl the olive oil into the pan and wait another minute. Carefully place the livers in the pan without crowding them (you may have to do this in batches.) Sear the livers on the first side for a minute or two until they are nicely caramelized. Turn them over, and cook one more minute until they are just medium rare. Transfer them to a platter or baking sheet.
Return the pan to the stove, lower the heat to medium and add the pancetta. Cook about 4 minutes stirring often until the pancetta is just starting to crisp. Add the onions and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook another 4-5 minutes until the pancetta is crispy but still tender and the onions are translucent and just starting to color. Transfer the onions and pancetta to a platter or baking sheet to cool.
Chop 1/3 of the livers and add to a large bowl with 1/3 of the onions. Place the rest of the onions, pancetta and liver in the bowl of a food processor.
Return the pan to the stove over low heat and add the vinegar. Reduce the vinegar to a glaze and then pour it into the food processor (using a rubber spatula to scrape all of it in.) Puree the livers and then add the butter little by little to the food processor pulsing all the time until it’s completely incorporated. Transfer the puree to the large bowl and fold in the chopped liver and remaining onions and pancetta. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and a splash of sherry vinegar if you like.
To make the ravioli
Using a pasta machine, roll out the dough on the 2nd thinnest setting. I use the Atlas Mercado pasta roller and find that for raviolis i like to roll it out to the 2nd to last setting. If the pasta is too thin then it will tear. To thick and it takes over the filling. You will have to adjust to your pasta machine. Lay a sheet of pasta on a floured work surface. Place 1 tablespoon of the chilled beef filling about 2 inches apart form each other. Brush the pasta with an egg wash. Lay another sheet of pasta over top. Gently with the palms of your hand. Press around each filling to push out the air and compact the filling. Cut with your favorite ravioli cutter. Make sure to lay the raviolis on a heavily floured plate or they will stick. I also like to stick them in the freezer about 45 minutes before i use them. This firms up the pasta but does not freeze the filling. So you end up with a nice al dente pasta and a hot luscious filling.
To Finish the Dish
Drop your raviolis in boiling salted water. I like to cook about 10 to 12 at a time for the size pan this recipe calls for.
Meanwhile. Working quickly In an 8 to 10 inch saute pan heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan until it begins to brown but not scorch. Add the a large spoon of chicken livers toscani into the pan and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with a splash of the red wine that you are drinking at that moment along with a slash of balsamic vinegar. Let the sauce come together. If it looks broken then add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water that you are cooking the raviolis in to bring it back. Immediately add in in your drained raviolis once they are just cooked. About 2 minutes. Plate. Pour over the sauce. Scant some chopped parsley. And grate over some Pecorino Romano over top.
For a more luxurious sauce. Add a couple drops of black truffle oil or canned sliced black truffles into the sauce.
ENJOY !!! I know you will.
