Growing up, Tony Priolo had two passions: cooking and playing baseball. To this day, both remain close to his heart. As chef and co-owner of three Chicago restaurants, Tony loves pleasing people with food, while baseball feeds his soul. For the past twelve years, Tony has been playing with the Braves in the Midwest Suburban League.
Recipe
Ravioli di “Piccolo Sogno”
Filling
- 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/8 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/8 cup goat cheese
- 1/8 cup chopped gorgonzola dolcelatte cheese
- 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
- Sicilian sea salt to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and adjust the seasoning.
Pasta Dough
- 4 whole eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Sicilian sea salt
- 2 3/4 cups semolina flour
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp water
Method
- (Method 1) In a food processor, add all ingredients. Pulse until a ball forms; or, (Method 2) In a large bowl add all dry ingredients into center of the bowl. Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the remaining ingredients. With a fork, beat the liquid until smooth, slowly touching the sides and incorporating the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until a ball is formed.
- Take the ball out and knead by hand until the dough is slightly firm. (The texture should be slightly firmer than your ear lobe.) You may need to adjust the water amount due to the humidity in the air.
- After the dough has rested, roll it out progressively with a pasta machine until the dough is thin enough that you can see your hand through it.
- Brush the dough with egg yolk and add a quarter-sized dollop of filling on half of the dough with a spoon.
- Place the other half of the dough over the side with the filling so that you can form ravioli. With a small shot glass, form the center of the ravioli and press all the air out.
- Cut with a circle cutter so that there is a small edge around the center.
- Press the sides, gently pushing the air out, and set aside.
- Cook in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes, then toss into the sauce.
For the Sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh chicken broth
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- Sicilian sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
*Marsala glaze: 1 cup marsala wine cooked down by three-quarters until it is thick. You can use a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
*Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano: Using a potato peeler, lightly shave off curls of cheese from a solid piece for the garnish.
- In a sauce pan, reduce the chicken broth down by half. Add the butter and bring to a boil, then take the sauce off the heat. Stir quickly so the sauce does not break.
- Add the cooked ravioli and toasted pine nuts. Adjust the seasoning.
- Drizzle about six ravioli on a plate with sauce and marsala glaze, sprinkle with pine nuts, and top with shavings of parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
