I made ravioli for lunch recently. I have been asked for the filling recipe by a friend over at Concierge du Monde, so here it is:

Ingredients:

• Pork mince (250 grams)
• Sauerkraut,finely chopped (80 grams)
• Coriander, finely chopped (two tablespoons)
• 1 Egg
• Breadcrumbs (4 tablespoons)
• Parmesan cheese (2 tablespoons)
• Fresh cracked pepper (1 teaspoon)

Instructions:

1. Drain the sauerkraut and chop finely
2. Chop the coriander finely
3. Grate the parmesan
4. Beat the egg
5. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until they are completely combined. Mixture should be stiff and hold together well. If it is too wet, add more bread crumbs
6. Heat some oil in a small pan and drop in a half a teaspoon of the filling. Fry until cooked through, then taste. The filling should be quite strong flavoured. Stronger than you would prefer if you were eating it alone. The pasta and the sauce will balance this out. The mixture is now ready to be made up into ravioli.

I make each ravioli using a rounded teaspoon of the filling mixture. This recipe should be enough filling for fifty or so ravioli. I prefer to make my own pasta. If you do, then the pasta should be rolled as thin as you can make it. I find that gives the best balance of texture and flavour.

Cooking time for these ravioli should only be about three minutes in boiling water. To be sure, pull one out and chop in half to check if it is cooked through before removing the rest. Serve with the sauce of your choice. I prefer a basic tomato, herb, and cream sauce that won’t compete too much with the flavour of the ravioli.

John.