Egg-Filled Ravioli

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Uova da Raviolo

Ravioli-7

Although my family made plenty of ravioli, only two filling recipes were prepared, one for ravioli served in tomato sauce and the other for cappelletti served in soup. I’ve been told that Mom and Zia experimented with cheese-filled ravioli but were never satisfied with them and gave up trying after a few attempts. Then, a few years ago, after having mastered the recipe for Bartolini sausage, I used it to fill ravioli and I was off and running. Since then, I’ve made a number different fillings, most dependent upon what was fresh and in-season at the time. Never, though, did I make today’s recipe, Egg-Filled Ravioli, Uova da Raviolo.

Last year, my blogging friend, Sarah, prepared these delectable ravioli using chicken eggs. Though she no longer maintains her blog, the memory of that dish stayed with me and I decided to surprise Zia with the dish. Since my family never made ravioli large enough to encompass the yolk of a chicken egg, I thought that if I used quail eggs, the ravioli would be much smaller and more in line with my family’s traditions. Well, when I went to buy the quail eggs in September before my trip home for honey, the vendor at the farmers market didn’t have any. My plans would have to wait until my next trip. In the meantime, my friend Celi posted her delicious recipe for these extraordinary ravioli and, not long after, my friend Eva posted her “delightful” recipe. Luckily, Zia saw neither post so my plans remained secret. Weeks later, before my last trip home, I went to the vendor to buy the quail eggs. Not only did the vendor remember me, she gave me 2 packs of eggs for the price of one. Already into November and with her birthday to come in a few weeks, my surprise dinner became Zia’s birthday dinner, with these ravioli as primo piatto.

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Uova da Raviolo, served

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In the past, I’ve mentioned that Mom loved Swiss chard (silverbeet), even managing to secure a small piece of Grandpa’s prized garden to grow some. Although our ravioli recipes normally use spinach in the filling, I substituted chard as a means of bringing Mom to Zia’s birthday dinner. The substitution worked so well that Zia mentioned she may use chard the next time she makes ravioli.

Now, when you look at the recipe, you’ll undoubtedly notice that there are few, if any, ingredient amounts listed. The fact that I didn’t have a proper scale is part of the reason but certainly not the sole cause. The proportion of the ingredients will rely upon the amount of chard that you have and your own tastes. Once the chard is cooked and readied for use, add the Pecorino Romano cheese and then enough ricotta until it tastes and looks like you prefer. At this point, there are no raw eggs in the filling, so, you can taste it without fear of becoming ill. Just remember the filling should be stiff enough to support an egg’s yolk.

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ETA

Since this was published, my good blogging friend, Minnie of The Lady 8 Home, posted an entry using scissors to open quail eggs. If you’re interested in making these ravioli, be sure to check out Minnie’s post.

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Ravioli Filling Ingredients*     *     *

Uova da Raviolo Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 recipe of Mom’s Pasta Dough — recipe to be found HERE
  • 1 dozen quail eggs — you’d be wise to purchase a few extra (See Notes)
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves only, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ricotta cheese — recipe to be found HERE
  • Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
  • ground nutmeg, to taste
  • Salt & pepper
  • butter

Directions

Prepare pasta dough, set aside to rest, and make the filling.

to make the filling

  1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over med-high heat. Add the Swiss chard, season with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sauté until cooked. Allow to cool, place in a clean kitchen towel, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Set aside.
  2. To your food processor, add the cooked chard, ricotta cheese, and a handful of Pecorino Romano cheese. Process until smooth. Set aside.

to make the ravioli

  1. Place a strip of thinly rolled dough on a lightly floured work surface. (See Notes.)
  2. Most machines create strips that are 6 inches wide. Place a tbsp of filling, at about 3 inch intervals, in a straight line about 2 inches from the strip’s edge.
  3. Use a spoon to indent each tbsp of filling, creating a nest.
  4. Carefully break each quail egg, separate the yolk, and place one yolk in each filling nest.
  5. Use a pastry brush to lightly moisten the opposing side of the pasta strip.
  6. Carefully cover the nests with the moistened side of the pasta strip. Use a glass or biscuit cutter to seal and cut each raviolo.
  7. If air is trapped in a raviolo, use a toothpick to pierce the underside, being careful not to damage the enclosed yolk. Gently squeeze the trapped air out of the raviolo.
  8. Place ravioli on a lightly floured, wax paper covered baking sheet. Cover the ravioli with a clean kitchen towel. Ravioli should be cooked as soon as possible. Keep refrigerated until ready for use.

to cook and serve

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over high heat.
  2. Add the ravioli and when the boil returns, lower the heat and gently cook the ravioli for about 2 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt a few tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
  4. Use a spider strainer to remove the ravioli, placing them in the sauté pan with the melted butter.
  5. Gently toss the ravioli until all are well-coated with butter.
  6. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese.

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Add Tbsp filling to dough sheet, make a “nest”
Place an egg yolk to a “nest”
Fill all nests with egg yolks
Fold dough to cover egg-filled nests
Use a glass or biscuit cutter to seal and cut the each raviolo
Ready for cooking

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Variations

Although I served the ravioli dressed with melted butter, they may also be served with a sage-brown butter sauce or a fine extra virgin olive oil. Just be sure to garnish the dish with a sprinkling of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

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Notes

The pasta should be rolled very thin. The thicker the pasta, the longer it will take to cook the ravioli and you’ll run the risk of over-cooking the eggs. The yolks should be runny and not at all hard.

I had planned to serve these ravioli with a sage-brown butter sauce. When it came time to prepare the sauce, however, the sage went missing. With dinner already started and the nearest supply of fresh sage some 30 miles away, I decided it really wasn’t all that necessary and used butter and cheese to dress the pasta. As luck would have it, I was back here in Chicago when Zia came across the sage in her fridge, right where I’d left it.

These were served as a primo piatto. Frankly, there aren’t enough hours in a day to make enough of these ravioli for a main course. I had intended to make 6 per serving but, some time and a number of broken yolks later, I decided that 5 per serving would be plenty.

Quail eggshells are remarkably strong and the inner membrane is even more durable. Together, they make it difficult to break each egg and get to the yolk without it breaking. Buy more quail eggs than needed to allow for the inevitable loss of a yolk or two or three or …

Chances are, once you’ve made your ravioli, you’re going to have some pasta dough left over. Don’t throw it away but follow Mom’s example. She used the scraps to make quadretti pasta, which she kept sealed in an airtight container, adding to it every time she made pasta. These little pasta squares were added to broth and made a great meal. Click HERE to see step-by-step instructions for making quadretti pasta.

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Tutto Fatto

Out with the old
In with the new

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

In the old two-flat, it wouldn’t be Christmas if there wasn’t a platter of ravioli on the table. WIth today’s post sharing a new ravioli recipe, I thought today we’d also look back to the original Bartolini Ravioli Filling recipe, as well as the instructional post demonstrating how to use a ravioli form to make the pasta pillows. You can see each post by clicking on the caption under each photo below.

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Filling Recipe for Bartolini Ravioli

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How to use a Dye/Mold to Make Ravioli

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Coming soon to a monitor near you …

Turkey Risotto Preview

Turkey Risotto

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208 thoughts on “Egg-Filled Ravioli”

  1. What a beautiful first course to prepare for Zia! They look absolutely wonderful John! I’m going to give your ravioli recipe a try over the next few weeks (during our summer break), when I have time to relax and enjoy the whole process.
    The finished reno looks marvellous – you must be so pleased with the results! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Margot. This dish is a great starter for a festive dinner. It’s impressive and tastes really good. I hope you do try to make ravioli at home. Like anything else, it may take a little time to understand the process and find your rhythm but, once you do, you’ll be on your way. Yes, I’m very pleased with that porch and Max can have access to the yard as much as he wants again. I don’t even think he’s noticed the porch yet. He’s been too busy running into the yard and going on patrol. 🙂
      Good luck making ravioli. If you’ve questions, I’m here.

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  2. What a labor of love. I am so impressed! I always see quail eggs at the Asian markets I go to. Never have been brave enough to buy them though. Thanks for filling me in on the shells! John, this looks like an awesome birthday celebration and my bday is this month! Do I dare? Hey! the new porches look great!

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    • Thanks, Abbe. I don’t normally go to that area of “my” Asian markets, sticking primarily in the spice, herb, and vegetable areas. I need to check to see if they carry fresh quail eggs It will sure beat waiting for the farmers market to return in May. A prior commenter suggested using a pair of scissors to cut the egg, while another said to use a sharp, serrated knife. Anything would be better than what I did, gently cracking the egg like I would a chicken egg. Yes, that cracked the shell but that darn membrane just wouldn’t open up. Do buy extras! 🙂

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  3. Hi John, thank you so much for the link and shootout, I’m very flattered. Your ravioli looks amazing, and I do love that you used quail eggs instead of a large egg; it certainly makes the ravioli a more manageable size and serving would be more than one! Again you have made my mouth water with your tantalizing recipe, making me want to make this again for lunch. It may even make a wonderful appetizer course for New Years Eve — our friends are coming to celebrate! I’m glad that Zia liked it too, the warm, runny yolk certainly does take this rather simple dish to the next level. The swiss chard is also a lovely change but what really warms my heart is the reason you chose that wonderful veggie! I’m sure your dear Mom would love this dish.

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    • Hello, Eva! You, Celi, and Sarah pointed me in the direction of today’s recipe. Of course I mentioned you. I did like being able to serve a number of these but there is something to be said for making one large raviolo per person. I just wasn’t used to making ravioli this way, not to mention fiddling with egg yolks at the same time.
      After Dad had passed, I went home every year for Mom’s birthday and I’d take her to what I consider to be that area’s best restaurant. Zia, of course, always joined us. Well, with that history, it was only natural to include Mom in Zia’s birthday dinner. 🙂

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  4. Hi John, another great post! I’ve made ravioli with only an egg yolk before, but not combined with chard and ricotta. Your recipe does take quite some skill, not only to get the egg yolks out but also to keep them whole when sealing the ravioli. Nice that it creates its own ‘sauce’ when you cut into them. Bravo!

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    • Thank you, Stefan. Your compliments always mean a lot. Like Zia, I was pleasantly surprised how well the chard and ricotta worked together. As you know, we always used spinach and (cream) cheese in our ravioli. It never occurred to me to use the yolks alone as filling. Though that might be a bridge too far for my family, I’d like to give it a try just to see how they are.

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      • As you probably remember I recently used chard with ricotta in pansoti. I actually prefer chard over spinach because I’m not overly fond of the astringent flavor that spinach often has. It usually requires cream to fix that, so I’m not surprised you use cream cheese instead of ricotta. Which is also a good reason for me to try this some time, despite my misgivings about using store-bought cream cheese in Italian cooking. (Italians do it too, by the way. Not very traditional but they do it.)

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        • You’ve reminded me, Stefan, to ask Zia when cream cheese became a part of our filling recipes. Were they taught to use it or was it something that she and Mom decided to do. Thanks.

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  5. What a wonderful recipe, Jonh! So, so special! A perfect Christmas present for your beloved readers!!! Thank you! 🙂
    P.S. I’m sure you are relieved that the renovations are over and you are back to normal before the holidays.

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    • Thanks, Francesca. Although we serve the traditional Bartolini ravioli for Christmas an cappelletti for New Year’s, these would make a perfect primo piatto for either holiday. Who would expect to see yolk gush out of their ravioli? Santa’s not the only one with surprises. 🙂
      You are so right about the porches. It’s a major relief to have them finished and the yard cleaned up before Christmas. Whew!

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  7. You have me craving ravioli now…and I’m not even hungry! 😀 I would never have thought of putting egg yolk inside, but absolutely love the idea. It’s just pasta sauce on the inside! Brilliant.

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    • Thanks, Sarah. I think it’s the curse of being a food blogger. I cannot read all of these blogs without starting to crave something to eat. Your comment about “pasta sauce on the inside” is right on the money. You don’t need an elaborate sauce to dress these ravioli. Just let the yolks do it for you. You can’t get any more rich than that! 🙂

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    • Thanks, April, it was a very nice dish and I was pleased with it, never having played with quail eggs before. Yes, I, too, like the porches and, best of all, they’re finished! Normalcy, such as it is, has returned to my humble abode. Yay!

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  9. I haven’t been by in awhile, John–too much work–but I check in today and the first thing I see is my favorite kind of ravioli! I’ve never had them with quail eggs and now you’ve made me curious. Very clever. Merry Christmas to you! Ken

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    • He;;o, Ken. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been behind since my trip home in November and wonder if I’ll ever be current again. 🙂
      My family has never served the giant ravioli that a chicken egg yolk would require. I thought a quail egg would allow for smaller pasta pillows. It did but I’d never worked with them before and I wasn’t at all prepared. If there’s a next time, I’ll do much better, I’m sure. I hope you and Jody have a wonderful Christmas.

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  10. Is it written in the stars?? Perhaps! For lo, I have in my refrigerator a nice bunch of sage leaves just waiting for their browned-butter baptism. Eggs, too. What a benevolent universe this is! 😉 Great and gorgeous post, John!

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    • Thanks, Kathryn, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Though these were very good, if you use chicken eggs and make large ravioli, you will get much more yolk spilling onto your plate. Both are decadent; it’s a matter of degree. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Melanie. I’ve not seen quail eggs used in ravioli, either. I used them here to make the ravioli smaller, like the ones my family normally prepares. I just looked at your post. That was a wonderful meal that you prepared and shared. Everything sounds delicious. 🙂

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  13. Bueno sera John! these little ravioli’s are amazing and you must have the patience of a saint to pull this off.. meaning not breaking the yolk. I can just imaging how amazing it would taste as you break it open and let the egg run over the pasta and swiss chard. Kind of like a birdie in the nest but just with ravioli instead. I sure hope there are flights straight from HK to Chicago.. see you in about 15 hours…save some for me. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. BAM

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    • Thank you so much, BAM. It was a bit daunting, trying to crack those little eggs and rescue the yolks. As I mentioned in the post, be sure to buy extra eggs. With you a 15 hour flight away, there’s no need for me to save some for you. Just call me before you leave for the airport and I’ll have plenty of time to make up a new batch. 🙂
      I hope you and your family have a fantastic holidays, too.

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  17. I have been away but saw your recipe on my phone couldn’t wait to get back and have a proper read. I love quail eggs but have never separated them. I wonder if the whites have a use? I have already ordered quail eggs for Christmas from my butcher and I am going to set some of the eggs aside so as to have a go at this recipe. Looks so impressive. As does your new wood work.

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    • Welcome home! Thank you, Maria. I don’t know what you could do with the whites. The percentage of yolk to white is higher in a quail egg. It would take quite a few eggs to have an appreciable amount of white to use. Perhaps they could be added to chicken egg whites. I doubt that the two are very different.

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    • Thanks, Celia. The only real hard part of the process was cracking the eggs and getting those yolks out in one, unbroken piece. That was a real chore. Yes, the porch is done, looks great, and, right now, snow covered. Some things never change. 🙂

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  19. We had quail when we had our farm – aren’t the eggs tiny? This looks wonderful John. Wish you lived next to me! And – your new porches and stairways looks so very nice!!

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    • Thank you, Cecile. If I lived next door, I’d gladly cook for you, as I’m sure you would for me. The problem with this scenario is that we’d each be big as a house within a month. 🙂

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  22. I thought I had commented on this post but it seems that I hadn’t (though I did get lost in all of your fanmail so forgive me if I’ve posted twice!). Love the look of these quail egg ravioli, yum! I’ve eaten one with a warm runny chicken egg before but these look even more petite and beautiful. Definitely a must-try! Sorry that your friend Sarah is no longer mantaining her blog, seems like she’d be one to follow!

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    • Glad you enjoyed the post, Laura. I would have made these with a chicken egg but never has my family served a raviolo so large that it could encompass a chicken egg yolk. On the other hand, using quail eggs was not an easy task. I’ll try it again, I’m sure, and maybe it will be better now that I know what to expect. Yes, I miss Sarah. She was a very kind-hearted person and I looked forward to her posts and comments. Maybe she’ll return. Fingers crossed!

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  23. This is what I call a labor of love my dear! I can imagine breaking into a ravioli and have a luscious yellow yolk pour out. Elegant and quite delicious! Sorry for being absent for a while from visiting here. Went on a holiday trip to see some of our family. Hope you had a nice Christmas and are enjoying your the rest of your holiday!

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    • Thanks, MJ. This recipe is a bit more involved than I usually attempt, that’s for sure. I wast totally unprepared for dealing with the quail eggs. IF I do it again, I’ll be better prepared. Well, I hope so, anyway.
      Not to worry about being absent. I, too, will be going AWOL very soon. I hope you enjoyed the time you spent with your family and wish you all the very happiest of New Years!

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  24. I had forgotten to ask how the construction was moving along (it looks to be on schedule). I remember Sarah’s post and I think it was even featured on freshly pressed…it was amazing. I do hope she’ll return to blogging. Your photos tell such a beautiful story and I love that when I read through your post that it’s more of a tutorial, rather than a hard and fast recipe. I’ve heard from several sources that those quail eggs can be a little tricky, yet I think I’d much prefer the size of the finished ravioli (with the quail egg) than with a chicken egg.

    Wonderful post, John!
    Allison

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    • The porch was re-built just before the first snows hit. Lucky timing! I do miss seeing Sarah around and hope that she’ll pop in every now and again. This blog was originally intended to serve as a help to the youngest members of my family who never watched our family’s great cooks prepare our family’s dishes. I want them to be able to pick any recipe and recreate the dish without a problem. Kind comments like yours tell me I’m on the right track and I appreciate them. Yes, I hadn’t a clue about working with quail eggs and don’t know if I want to do it again. In an earlier comment, Eva said that the egg ravioli could be frozen. Now that puts the whole process in another light. My biggest problem was having to put together a dinner after having fiddled with those eggs all afternoon. Being able to make the ravioli a day or two ahead changes everything. Cooking times would change, however, and I’d need to test a few before cooking these for dinner guests. I know, I know. Eating all those test ravioli will be tough but it must be done. I’m a giver. 🙂
      Thanks for leaving such a great comment and nice compliments, Allison. Wishing you and yours Health and Happiness in the New Year!

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    • As you can tell, I’m way behind but I didn’t want this comment to go unanswered. I think it great, Richard, that you’re planning to make ravioli. You may find it a little daunting at first but, trust me, a cook as good as yourself will conquer the process easily and you’ll be on your way. I cannot wait to read your post about it. Good luck!

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    • How very thoughtful of you to mention my recipe here, Nancy. As you can tell, I’m a bit behind but I don’t want you to think that I didn’t appreciate your kindness. Thank you very much.

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