Radicchio ravioli are one of our favorite seasonal specialties. In Italy, we look forward to a particular variety called Radicchio Tardivo. It's produced in just over 20 municipalities in Treviso, Padua, and Venice, all located in the Veneto, and harvested only after the second frost. If you manage to find it, we suggest it for this recipe. Choose the heads with the most vividly colored leaves marked by a strong contrast between the white stalks and the red leaves, which should be crisp. The bunches with the tightest leaves are usually the freshest.
Radicchio Ravioli: Recipe
Ingredients:
For the pasta dough
1 cup flour
6 large egg yolks
Salt
For the filling
9 oz. red radicchio
9 oz ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp. caciocavallo cheese,
1 shallot
salt
pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
Triangle-shaped radicchio ravioli
Method:
Beat the egg yolks with 1½ Tbsp. water. Make a well in the flour and pour in the beaten yolks and a pinch of salt. Begin to mix the yolks and flour with a fork, then knead the dough by hand. Once compact and smooth, form a ball with the dough, cover in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Clean the radicchio and cut it into slices. Fry it in a pan with a little oil and the chopped shallot for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, then mix it with the ricotta, caciocavallo salt, and pepper.
Roll out the dough into paper-thin sheets of pasta. Stuff half of the sheets with the radicchio filling, then cover with another sheet of pasta, making sure the edges stick around the filling. Finally, cut out 60 square ravioli shapes. Boil them in plenty of salted water; once the ravioli rise to the surface, gently drain with a slotted spoon.
Radicchio Ravioli: 3 sauce ideas
Butter and Parmigiano Reggiano
Melt the butter in a bain-marie. Once hot, add a little bit of the Parmigiano Reggiano and stir to melt. Once the ravioli have been drained, pour a spoonful of the sauce over the bottom of each plate and use the rest to drizzle over the top of the ravioli. To finish, sprinkle more grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top.
Gorgonzola fondue with walnuts
Melt the gorgonzola in a bain-marie, adding a dash of milk or cream if it’s too thick. Drain the ravioli, cover them with the fondue, and complete the dish with finely chopped walnuts.
Leeks and speck
Cut the leeks into thin slices and dice the speck. Heat some oil in a frying pan, sauté the leeks, and add the diced speck. Sauté for a couple of minutes and the sauce is ready.