Ricotta ravioli with sausage sauce are a real siracusan specialty, in which the protagonist is the sausage, typical product of the hamlet of Palazzolo Acreide.
This gourmet product has been existing for around 2,600 years and it has begun to be produced since the Syracuse Corinthians founded the ancient city of Akrai. The particularity of the siracusan sausage lies in the processing of Sicilian black pig meat, an animal species originally used for religious and propitiatory rites, that only with the Romans found its culinary use. Pig breeding is part of the tradition of the Ipean campaigns: In the Christmas period, in fact, families chose a Sunday to devote themselves to the preparation of the meat and got up early in the morning to start boiling the water and heating the embers, for the meat to be roasted.
The quality of the sausage is given by a wild-breeding farm and natural nutrition based on natural herbs, which make the meat particularly tender and fragrant and give it an unmistakable flavour. The taste is then enriched with a dough with Nero d’Avola wine, wild fennel, salt and red chilli.
What about exalting its unique taste with a nice entrance dish? Following our recipe you can try the delicious ricotta ravioli with sausage sauce at home.
Ingredients
FOR DOUGH:
1 kg of hard wheat flour
1 egg
a pinch of salt
Water to knead
FOR THE STUFFING:
500 gr of fresh vaccine ricotta
Parsley to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 kg of fresh sausage
1 small onion
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Some fresh basil leaves
1.5 liters of homemade tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate
Carrot and celery at will
White wine
Method
First of all, make the filling. Mix in a bowl the cottage cheese with parsley, black pepper and salt. If you want, you can also add some marjoram. As you prepare the rest, leave the mix in the fridge, so it will gain more taste.
The next step: the dough. On a planter, place the flour and make a hole in the center, where you put eggs, water and salt. Knead until you get a homogeneous mixture. Then make it rest for about an hour. If you want to reduce fatigue, you can also use a mixer or a kitchen robot.
Once you have prepared the filling and the dough, you can finally dedicate yourself to the preparation of the sauce. In a platter mix oil, onion, carrot. Brown them and add the sausage. Then add the white wine and blend. Finally add the tomato souce together with the extract, previously softened in water, and let it cook for about an hour.
In the meantime, take the dough and spread it until you get a thin leaf. With a pastry wheel or special molds, cut some squares and fill them with the fillings. Close the ravioli with another layer of dough, sealing the edges with a fork and … there is nothing left to boil the water and cook the ravioli. Once sprouted, join them with the sauce. If you like it, you can also add some basil leaves as the last final touch.
…enjoy!!
