In the words of our head chef Roberta, caramelle are one of the finest types of filled pasta that you could make. A delicious blend of savoury and sweet our lemon and ricotta pasta parcels are a treat that you won’t be able to resist!
Make Roberta's Signature Caramelle
Serves 3
Prep Time: 40 minutes (not including dough resting time)
Calories per serving: 648kcal
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 200g ricotta
- 1 lemon, zested
- Small handful fresh parsley or basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the pasta:
- 150g ‘00’ Flour
- 150g semolina flour
- 3 eggs
Method
For the Pasta:
Making the pasta sheet for your caramelle is very simple and we’ve outlined the process in the steps below. We also have a helpful video guide if you’d like to follow along with Roberta as she makes fresh pasta dough from scratch.
Making the Dough
- Start by combining your two types of flour and making a mound on a wooden board or clean work surface. Then make a well in the centre to form a crater-like shape.
- Crack the eggs into the centre and, with a fork, start whisking to combine flour and egg, slowly incorporating more and more of the flour from the edges of the crater as you go until you’re left with a thick mixture.
- At this stage the mixture becomes too sticky for the fork so we recommend using your hands (or a dough scraper if you have one) to incorporate the rest of the flour.
- Form the mixture into a ball of dough and begin kneading it.
Kneading the Dough
- To knead, drag the dough forward with your palm, using the other hand to hold it steady. Then pull the stretched dough back over, turn it around and start again. Repeat this process until you’re left with a firm, smooth consistency.
- We recommend 10-20 minutes of kneading to create a nice elastic dough. A good way of checking if you’ve kneaded the dough well is to press your finger into the centre. As you lift your finger away, the dough should spring back up.
Resting the Dough
- Wrap the dough in a tea towel (a more sustainable alternative to cling film) and set aside to rest for about 20-30 minutes at room temperature. This is a good time to prepare the filling for your caramelle.
Rolling the Dough
- Once rested, unwrap the dough and divide it into two pieces. Cover one half with the tea towel to keep it from drying out and set aside. Press the remaining piece of dough into a flat circle using your hands. Next, take a rolling pin or matterello and begin rolling out the dough to create a thin sheet. This will take a little while if you’re doing it by hand, so if you have a pasta machine now is the moment to put it to use, however this is not by any means an essential piece of kit!
- When your pasta sheet, called a sfoglia, is ready, you should be able to see your hand through it.
Shaping the Caramelle
- Even off the edges of your sfoglia and cut it in half so that you have two fairly even strips that are about two inches wide. Spoon your filling, at even intervals (roughly 5cm apart), down the middle of each strip. Don’t forget you’ve got another piece of dough to roll out, so only use half of the filling at this stage.
- Cut the pasta sheets so that each lump of filling has a couple of centimetres of dough either side and then fold the dough over the filling. Gently press the dough to eliminate excess pockets of air.
- Pinch the dough at the ends to form the beautiful caramelle shape and ensure they're tightly sealed so that no filling escapes when cooking.
Cooking the Caramelle
- Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to the boil. Carefully place your homemade caramelle into the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
- Serve with a melted butter sauce and a sprinkling parsley or simply dress with Italian olive oil. Buon appetito!
For the Filling:
- Combine the ricotta, lemon zest and herbs in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- When your pasta sheet is ready, transfer your filling into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Pipe (or alternatively, spoon) the mixture evenly onto your sheet of pasta dough.
At Pasta Evangelists, we bring a taste of Italy to your kitchen. Prepared using the freshest ingredients, our gourmet pasta dishes are perfect for those looking to enjoy restaurant-quality meals, delivered to your door, and ready in under five minutes. Order from our weekly menu today, and we’ll offer you 25% off your first delivery - simply enter the code BLOG25 at checkout.
