1 recipe Pasta Dough for
Ravioli, recipe follows
Filling:
1 pound tub Dungeness crabmeat, picked through for
shells
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white
Sauce:
4 cups (packed) mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf
parsley, basil, tarragon, and mint
4 green onions, green parts only, chopped
1 lemon, zest finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
Make the pasta dough as directed
in the master recipe.
To make the filling: Combine all the ingredients in a
mixing bowl, stirring to incorporate.
To make the sauce: Put the herbs in a food processor
with the green onions, lemon zest, salt, and pepper;
pulse to chop it up a bit. Add about 1/4 cup of olive
oil and puree it down until smooth and bright green.
Coat a wide saute pan with a couple of tablespoons of
olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets
hazy, add the anchovies and mash them up with a wooden
spoon so they melt into the oil. Toss in the garlic and
stir it around until it just begins to turn golden, not
brown. Carefully pour the herb sauce into the anchovy
oil, stirring to incorporate. Mix in the heavy cream and
season with salt and pepper.
To make the pasta dough: In an
electric mixer fitted with a dough hook*, combine the
flour and salt. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue
to mix. Drizzle in 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and
continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a
ball. Sprinkle some flour on work surface, knead and
fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should
take about 10 minutes. Brush the surface with the
remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap;
let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to
relax.
*Alternatively if you don't have an electric mixer:
Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape
into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs
and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and
lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour
from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion.
Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer
wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it
forms a ball. Continue as directed above.
Cut the ball of dough in 1/2, cover and reserve the
piece you are not immediately using to prevent it from
drying out. Dust the counter and dough with a little
flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it
through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest
setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the
palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce
the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3
times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the
narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about
1/8-inch thick (you should be able to see your hand
through it.). Dust the sheets of dough with flour as
needed.
Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg
wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour,
lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top
surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop
tablespoons of your favorite filling on 1/2 of the pasta
sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the
filling like a blanket. With an espresso cup or fingers,
gently press out air pockets around each mound of
filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into
squares and crimp the 4 edges with the tins of a fork to
make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with
cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them
out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.
Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water
for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready, so
be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli
from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Bathe
the ravioli in your favorite sauce to lightly coat and
serve.
