Lamb & Rosemary Ravioli Recipe

In this delicious fresh ravioli recipe we’ve combined two of the most classic flavours of spring. We also pay homage to Abruzzo and Molise, two regions in the south of Italy, where there is a long history of shepherding. Our tender lamb meat is complemented by the woody impression of the rosemary which shines through in each of these tasty envelopes of pasta. Rosemary can be found thriving in the wild and the perennial nature of its growth means that there is a near-infinite supply available, if you know where to look. This means that this flavour combination has been used in Italian cooking for hundreds of years and we have worked hard to strike just the right balance of ingredients here so that you can enjoy them, in all their glory, for yourself.

Make our Lamb & Rosemary Ravioli

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 2 hours

Calories per serving: 811 kcal

Ingredients

For the Pasta:

• 400g “00” flour
• 4 large eggs

For the Filling:

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 250g lamb mince
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• Small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method 

Making the pasta sheet for your ravioli 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.

For the Pasta:

Making the Dough

• Start by making a mound with your flour 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 ravioli.

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 Ravioli

• Even off the edges of your sfoglia and cut it in half so that you have two even strips side by side. Spoon your filling, at even intervals (roughly 5cm apart), down the middle of the first strip. Don’t forget you’ve got another piece of dough to roll out, so only use half of the filling at this stage.
• Wet the edges of the two strips with a pastry brush and place the second strip directly on top of the piece with the filling on. Gently press the dough to eliminate excess pockets of air.
• Seal the dough firmly around the edges and between each lump of filling. 
• Now take your ravioli cutter if you have one and cut out the individual ravioli, ensuring they’re tightly sealed so the filling can’t escape. You can also see Roberta demonstrate the technique in the video below.

Cooking the Ravioli 

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to the boil. Carefully place your homemade ravioli into the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
• Serve with a melted sage butter and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano!

For the Filling:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes until translucent then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, be careful to ensure the garlic doesn’t burn.
• Add the rosemary and the lamb to the pan and gently brown until cooked through, this will take about 10 minutes.
• When cooked, remove from the heat and transfer the lamb mixture to a large bowl. Add the Parmesan and the parsley and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When ready, spoon the mixture evenly onto the sheet of pasta dough.