Pears are delicious when in season; I adore baked pears and pear tarts but my favorite by far are these delicious ricotta and pear filled pasta sacks.
I first tasted these ricotta and pear filled pasta sacks at one of our favorite restaurants, located in the northern Lazio hill town, Civitá Castellana. We've not been back to the restaurant for a number of years as the chef, Sergio, sadly passed away. His wife and son gallantly continued with the restaurant but they eventually passed the restaurant off to new management. I hope this adaptation of his recipe serves as a tribute to Sergio and the amazing dishes he created.
Perhaps you'd like to take a pasta making class while you're here in Rome? Contact me directly to set up a class!
Ricotta and Pear Filled Pasta Sacks
Serves 4-6
Little pasta sacks, fagottini, are a charming variation to more common types of filled pasta, and make a beautiful presentation.
Ricotta cheese and pears are a marriage made in heaven. I always find myself eating half the filling before I’ve finished the recipe. It’s delicious!
Ingredients
For the filling:
Cow milk ricotta cheese, drained, 250 grams (9 ounces)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, 30 grams (1 ounce)
1 small firm pear (slightly under ripe)
For the pasta:
All Purpose or "00" Flour, 200 grams (7 ounces)
(Alternatively, use ⅔ all purpose flour and ⅓ semolina flour)
2 eggs
For the sauce:
Cow milk ricotta cheese, 180 grams (6 ½ ounces)
Fresh cream, 30 grams (1 ounce)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces)
1 small firm pear (slightly under ripe)
Reserved pasta cooking water
Cooking Instructions
For the filling:
- Core the pear and cut into tiny cubes.
- Mix the pear with the ricotta and Parmesan cheese and set aside.
For the pasta:
Prepare the pasta according to preparation instructions for the Basic Pasta recipe.
On a floured work surface roll out the dough into an almost paper-thin sheet.
Cut out 12 centimeter (5 inch) rounds using a pasta cutter or any other round cutting
substitute such as a small bowl.
Cover the rounds with a dishtowel and work about ten rounds per time to keep the rounds from drying out.
To fill the pasta, place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on each round.
Use a small basting brush to moisten the border of each round.
With your fingertips pinch the pasta rounds together just above the filling, leaving the very top of the round open.
You should end up with what looks like little bundles or sacks.
The pasta can be frozen for future use at this point; do not thaw before cooking the pasta.
For the sauce:
Warm the ricotta and fresh cream over low heat until just warmed through. You can thin out the sauce a bit by adding some of the pasta cooking water by the tablespoonful.
Core the pear and slice into paper thin slices and set aside.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 4 minutes. This may vary somewhat depending on how thin you have rolled out your pasta dough.
Spoon some sauce onto each serving plate.
Gently remove the pasta sacks from the boiling water using a slotted spoon or large scoop colander.
Place 5 to 6 pasta sacks on each plate, spoon over some addition sauce and garnish each with Parmesan cheese and shaved pears.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 250 grams Ricotta cheese drained, 250 grams (9 ounces)
- 30 grams Parmesan cheese freshly grated, 30 grams (1 ounce)
- 1 small firm pear slightly under ripe
- For the pasta:
- 200 grams All Purpose Flour* 200 grams (7 ounces)
- *Note: Alternatively use ⅔ all purpose flour and ⅓ semolina flour
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp pasta cooking water only if needed to thin out the sauce
Instructions
For the filling:
- Core the pear and cut into tiny cubes.
- Mix the pear with the ricotta and Parmesan cheese and set aside.
For the pasta:
- Prepare the pasta according to preparation instructions for the Basic Pasta recipe.
- On a floured work surface roll out the dough into an almost paper-thin sheet.
- Cut out 12 centimeter (5 inch) rounds using a pasta cutter or any other round cutting substitute such as a small bowl.
- Cover the rounds with a dishtowel and work about ten rounds per time to keep the rounds from drying out.
- To fill the pasta, place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling on each round.
- Use a small basting brush to moisten the border of each round.
- With your fingertips pinch the pasta rounds together just above the filling, leaving the very top of the round open.
- You should end up with what looks like little bundles or sacks.
- The pasta can be frozen for future use at this point; do not thaw before cooking the pasta.
Cooking and serving the pasta:
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 4 minutes. This may vary somewhat depending on how thin you have rolled out your pasta dough.
- .Spoon a third of the sauce onto each serving plate.
- Gently remove the pasta sacks from the boiling water using a slotted spoon or large scoop colander.
- Place 5 to 6 pasta sacks on each plate, spoon over the rest of the sauce and garnish each with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and shaved pears.
Nutrition
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Is this dish be frozen?????
Carole, this is a great dish for freezing! Often I will make dozens upon dozens of these, stick them in the freezer before cooking and then plop them in to Salter boiling water at the last minute.
Salted boiling water…
Cooking time?
Hi Laura, Thank you for asking about cooking time! This will depend on how thin you have rolled out your pasta dough but generally speaking cooking time will be quick, about four minutes. You'll see that the ravioli turn from bright yellow to more of a creamy color as it becomes "al dente". If you have any doubt just scoop one ravioli out and taste it. I hope this helps! Contact me if you have any more questions, and please let me know how they come out!
Wendy