I have since found a simpler version of this dish in Gaeta, a stunning city south of Sperlonga, and the recipe that follows is in the same style. The combination of cheese and seafood is almost heretical, but it pays to break the rules sometimes. We've done it since the day we opened, with our swordfish with capers and ricotta salata, and the idea is similar here. The almost bland, milky cheese is an excellent foil to the acidic tomatoes and sweet seafood.
Serves 4 as a main, or 8 as a starter
For the pasta
- 350g Italian 00 flour, available from Waitrose
Advertisement
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 200g mozzarella
- 200g ricotta (buffalo if possible, then sheep's milk, then cow's, in order of preference)
- 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin
- olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Advertisement
For the sauce
- 10 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, very thinly sliced
- 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 400g smallish raw prawns, peeled
Advertisement
- Salt and pepper
- 1 handful of basil leaves
First, make the pasta dough by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then let it rest while you make what goes inside. Eggs vary in size, so use your common sense and experience in making the dough, which should be very stiff if you are using a pasta machine.
For the filling, dice the mozzarella into 1cm pieces, then lay out on a cloth, to soak up the excess water. Next, mix with the ricotta, oil, salt and pepper. A touch of parmesan or nutmeg will help if your filling is bland, but these are unnecessary if the cheeses are flavoursome.
Advertisement
Now roll out the dough very thinly using a pasta machine or, even better, a long rolling pin. If you want to try this, you'll need a slightly wetter dough, and allow it to repeatedly spiral around the rolling pin like a roll of wallpaper. Roll a little, unroll and wrap again around the pin. This takes a lot of practice, but is rewarding, both to the maker and the eater. Either way, you'll need to roll the pasta ½mm thick.
Lay out a sheet of pasta and evenly distribute tablespoonfuls of the filling on it, about 10cm apart. Brush between them with the smallest amount of water and cover with another sheet. Press down to exclude any air and stick the sheets together. Cut into even 10cm squares. Place on a dry, floured wooden board until you are ready to cook them - don't stack them up or they'll stick.
When you're ready to serve, heat a frying pan for the sauce on one hob, and a pan with plenty of well-salted water on another. Drop the pasta into the water - it will take about 2 minutes to cook. To the other pan, add first the oil then, all at once, the garlic, tomatoes and prawns. Fry for a couple of minutes, seasoning well, and squashing a few tomatoes gently with a spoon. Lift the pasta from the water and add to the sauce, along with a couple of tablespoons of cooking water to emulsify, and cook for half a minute more. Add the basil leaves at the last moment and serve immediately.
Bocca di Lupo, Archer Street, W1; 020 7734 2223