Potato and Parma Ham-Filled Ravioli with Amalfi Lemon

Ingredients

For the pasta dough

• 300g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the filling

• 500g mashed potatoes
• 100g Grana Padano
• One pinch of nutmeg
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp pepper
• 50g butter
• 200g Parma Ham

For the sauce

• 80ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Amalfi lemon zest
• 100ml fresh lemon juice from approximately 2 Amalfi lemons
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Create a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs, salt and olive oil, and mix the dough into the eggs from the inside out. Keep kneading for a little while until smooth. Then wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in a cool, dry space for at least half an hour before using.

Start with the filling by peeling and cutting the potatoes in cubes and boil them in unsalted water. When they are cooked, drain them in a bowl, mash them into a purée and add the Grana Padano, nutmeg, salt, butter and pepper. Mix well. Taste the filling and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the filling is too tough, add a bit of water that you used to boil the potatoes in to loosen it up slightly.

For the sauce, warm up extra virgin olive oil on medium heat and add the grated lemon zest. Then take it off the heat and let it get cold.

Once the oil has cooled, you can start with the sauce. Add 100ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice to a large bowl by straining it through a narrow mesh strainer. Add the salt and begin to emulsify with a whisk or mixer. When the salt is completely dissolves, add the black pepper and continue stirring. Add the now cold oil and continue to whisk until ingredients are well combined and have formed a slightly dense emulsion.

Roll out the dough very thinly onto an even surface and create 36 discs of about 8/10 cm in diameter to create 18 Agnolotti. Add approximately 35 – 40g filling into the middle of 18 discs and run some egg white around the edges of those discs. This will allow the pasta to stick together and remain closed while boiling. Close each filled disc by topping it with another empty disc and pressing the edges closed with a fork.

Boil the pasta for 3 minutes in about 4 litres of salted water. If not using straight away, you can freeze the pasta. When using, boil straight from frozen but add a minute or two to the boiling time.

Drain the pasta and place them in a fairly large serving dish. Top evenly with the emulsion and extra grated Grana Padano as well as two slices of Parma ham per portion. Alternatively, chop the 200g of Parma ham into small, thin sticks, fry them and top the pasta with them just before serving.