Alpine Pasta Recipe

Michelin starred chef, Gian Paolo Raschi, shares his ravioli recipe that he has created for the menu at the Heidelberger hut in ischgl this summer, and that we got a taste of when we visited the beautiful hills in July. The idea of making your own pasta might give you visions of cowering in the corner with flour all over your face and tiny floury handprints all over the kitchen, but we’ve tried and tested the recipe when we got back home, and done our research to ensure this is achievable and fun!

Method

Start by making the egg pasta dough: Empty the flour onto a clean work surface (or in a bowl for less mess), make a well in the flour and whisk the eggs up with a fork before pouring them into the well. Using your finger tips gradually work the flour into the eggs until it comes together into a ball. Alternatively, put the flour and eggs in a blender and wizz up until combined, then turn the dough out onto a floured service and mould into a ball (a lot less mess but definitely not as fun!).

Knead the ball with your palm for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and springs back to shape when poked. Wrap with cling film, ensuring it is fully covered, and allow to stand in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Next, make the porcini and ricotta filling: Cut the mushrooms into cubes and brown with the garlic and bay leaves in some oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour off excess oil and remove the bay leaves. Chop mushrooms and garlic together into a rough paste.

Strain the ricotta through a fine sieve and in a bowl, add the egg yolk and chopped porcini. Season with salt and pepper and fill into a decorating bag. Now let everything cool off in the fridge.

Making the parmesan fondue: Make a roux from the butter and flour, add the milk and cook like a béchamel sauce. At this point, stir in the grated parmesan and the egg yolk. Let the sauce boil for a few more minutes until the fondue is creamy and velvety. Keep this warm until you are ready to serve.

The porcini ragout: Cut the mushrooms into cubes and brown them in butter together with the garlic clove and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Let the porcini drain on an absorbent base and store them in a warm place.

To make the pasta: Roll the egg pasta dough into a thickness of approx. 1mm and cut into 8cm large squares. (If you are lacking in space divide the dough into four before rolling it out). Divide the porcini filling between the squares, piping a small amount into the middle of each.

Next, fold the squares into triangular ravioli, pressing around the edges to seal (you can brush with a little water to help it stick). Boil the ravioli for just a couple of minutes in plenty of salted water.

Once cooked add the pasta the parmesan fondue along with a knob of butter.

To serve: Arrange the ravioli on a plate and cover with porcini ragout. Garnish with edible flowers such as Hibiscus or Nasturtium and alpine herbs .

Ingredients

Egg pasta dough:

• 3 whole eggs
• 300g flour (Tipo 00 or plain will do)

Filling:

• 200g ricotta
• 200g porcini mushrooms (dried or shitake mushrooms work well also)
• 2 egg yolks
• bay leaves
• garlic clove (unpeeled)
• olive oil for frying
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan Fondue:
  50g butter, 50g flour, 500g cold milk, 200g parmesan, 1 egg yolk

Porcini ragout:

• 200g porcini (dried or shitake as substitute)
• 1 garlic clove (unpeeled)
• a knob of butter
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper