“She was very jealous of her recipes. She didn’t reveal them to anyone. If we wanted to learn, we had to pay very close attention and steal her secrets with our eyes.”
This is how Maria Concetta remembers her grandmother Rosa, who had a strong character and temperament and who was able to keep husband, children and grandchildren in line. Rosa was born in 1921 and always lived on Pantelleria, a fertile island full of wonderful scents. She was the youngest of eight siblings and was an excellent cook. She cooked for the entire family and then also for the guests of the agriturismo, who always appreciated the genuine and simple dishes she prepared for dinner. Besides Ravioli are her mainstay, but her sweets are legendary, especially the cannoli.
“The ones she used to make had a shell that was more delicate compared to the classic Sicilian ones, and they had to be filled just before eating them. You could never find them like that in a pastry shop because the shell wouldn’t last.”
Ricotta and mint ravioli
“Sunday lunch, in the tradition of peasant farmers, has always been an occasion when everyone can get together and celebrate. While during the week people made do with what they had, on Sunday, when children and grandchildren gathered around the table, richer dishes were prepared. Like these ravioli, with egg pasta dough, and perhaps even a meat sauce.”
The recipe
6 servings:
For the pasta dough:
18 oz all-purpose flour
3 eggs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
For the filling:
18 oz ricotta
1 egg
salt
pepper and fresh mint
For the sauce:
28 oz tomato sauce or ragù; or 10 tablespoons melted butter with abundant sage
Knead flour with eggs, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add enough water to get a homogeneous dough. Cover it and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the filling, mixing the ricotta with one egg, salt, pepper and abundant finely minced mint.
Roll out the dough very thin, cut out some strips, and dot them with the filling. Close the strips by folding them over the filling and cut around it with a wavy-edge pastry cutter, to get the ravioli. Cook them in a large pot of salted boiling water and drain them. Serve them with a tomato and basil sauce, with a meat ragù, or simply with melted butter and sage.