Goat Cheese and Arugula Ravioli in Tomato Velouté with Pancetta and Shallots

This dish is an adaptation of one that Alfred Portale served at the Gotham Bar and Grill years ago. Whereas Portale used a simple chicken stock, I wanted a sauce with more substance. I've also added sautéed arugula to the filling and toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan to the topping.

For the dough, I like a mixture of Italian 00 flour and semolina. Both have a fairly high gluten content, which is important for elasticity. The 00 is a fine grind, making for a soft, silky pasta; the semolina is coarser, providing some texture, which helps the sauce cling to it. I recommend cranking the dough through a mechanical pasta roller and cutting it by hand with a pastry wheel.

For the tomatoes, I use fresh San Marzanos when I can find them because of their low acidity, sweet taste, and thick skin, which facilitates peeling. The pine nuts give the dish an unexpected crunch. They can be toasted in oil or even in a dry pan, but butter lends a better flavor. If not clarified, however, it is likely to turn brown.

This dish can served as a first course, with three ravioli on a plate, or a main course with four or five. The ingredients listed should make 4–5 dozen ravioli, and may be frozen or scaled down to any quantity.

  • 1 1/2 cups 00 flour
  • 1 1/2 cups semolina
  • 9 eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • Salt and ground white pepper to taste
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 8 ounces arugula
  • 10 ounces unripened chevrè
  • 2 ounces parmesan
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 pound pancetta in 1/4-inch slices
  • 3 shallots
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 bunch basil

Make the dough in advance: mix the 00 and semolina flours in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon salt, 4 eggs, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add just enough water to hold the dough together in a ball. Knead by hand for 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, using AP flour as required to prevent sticking. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate, but bring to room temperature 1 hour before rolling it out.

To make the roux for the sauce, heat the stock while melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan. Add 3 tablespoons AP flour to the pan, whisking continuously. Continue whisking over medium heat for a minute or two, turning the roux a light blond. Continue whisking while adding 3 cups of the warm stock, a tablespoon of tomato paste, and white pepper to taste. (The salt in the stock is probably sufficient, since there is a good deal of salt in the cheese and the pancetta.) Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to coating consistency. Add more stock if the sauce becomes too thick. Cover and remove from heat.

Mince the garlic. Heat half of it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat in a wide pan until the oil is hot and the garlic is fragrant. Add the arugula and stir until just wilted. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, drop the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 20 seconds. Allow to cool, peel, seed, and chop. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, add vinegar and a good amount of salt, and marinate to draw out the water.

Place the chèvre in a bowl. Add 2 eggs plus 2 yolks, reserving the 2 whites for an egg wash for the pasta. Chop half the chives and add them to the bowl with white pepper to taste. Wrap the arugula in a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop the arugula, mix with half the parmesan, grated, and add to the bowl. Mix thoroughly.vre

Line a baking pan with a clean towel and sprinkle with flour. Make a wash by beating the egg white with the remaining egg in a small bowl. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. The following process is to be followed for each piece. Flatten the piece of dough and pass it through the roller several times at the lowest (thickest) setting, folding the dough between rollings, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until the strip is smooth and extends across the length of the rollers. Adjust the setting to reduce the thickness on each subsequent rolling. When the strip becomes unwieldy, cut in in half and finish rolling each half until the desired thickness is achieved. (The proper final setting depends on the roller.) Lay out one of the two strips on a lightly floured surface. Place 2 rows of mounds of the filling, a scant tablespoon each, 2 inches apart, along the length of the strip. Brush the egg wash onto the dough between and around the mounds of filling. Cover with the other strip and lightly press around the filling, removing any air pockets. Using a pastry wheel, remove the edges and cut into square ravioli. Move them to the floured towel.

Reheat the sauce. Chop the pancetta and sauté in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it just begins to crisp. Peel and slice the shallots, add to the pan with the reserved garlic, and continue cooking for several minutes. Add this mixture to the sauce and thin the sauce as required with the rermaining stock.

Meanwhile, melt the clarified butter over medium-low heat in a small pan and toast the pine nuts, stirring and watching closely, until they begin to brown. Remove from the pan.

Cook the ravioli in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil. Chop the basil and remaining chives. Shave the remaining parmesan with a vegetable peeler. Drain and plate the ravioli, 3 per serving for a first course, or 5 for a second course. Ladle the hot sauce over the ravioli. Cover with the tomatoes, pinenuts, herbs, and parmesan.