Ingredients
For the filling
Method
1. To make the pasta, pour the flour onto your work surface and make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well and beat them with a fork. Mix the flour into the eggs, adding a little at a time, until you have a stiff dough.
2. Knead for 5 mins until smooth – don’t worry if it seems too dry, it will come together and feel smooth. Divide the dough into 2 balls, then leave to rest for 30 mins.
3. Meanwhile, mix together all the filling ingredients – apart from the egg yolks – with a pinch of salt and some black pepper, then transfer to a piping bag with a 2cm hole cut at the top and set aside for later.
4. Once the dough has rested, dust the surface with flour and press down 1 dough ball, so it’s 2cm thick. To make extra smooth pasta, set a pasta machine to the widest setting and roll the dough through it. Then put the machine down to the next smaller setting and roll the dough through again. Fold it in half, put your machine back to the widest setting, and roll it through again. Continue this 4-5 times until smooth.
5. Finally, to properly roll out the dough, roll it through the machine’s widest setting, then continue rolling it through, gradually turning down the settings so it’s thinner after each roll – dust with flour if you find it’s starting to stick. When it’s about the thickness of a piece of paper, remove from the machine, cut into 6 x 30cm sheets with a gentle dusting of flour between each, then place a damp tea towel over them to stop them from drying out.
6. Using a 10cm round cutter, make two gentle indents on 1 pasta sheet, about 5cm apart. Pipe the filling in a ring inside the indents, about 1cm away from the edge. Gently place an egg yolk into the middle hole of the filling. Repeat with the other indent. Brush the 1cm border around the filling with a little water, then align another pasta sheet on top. Gently press down around the filling with your fingers, then using a 12-13cm cutter (or a fluted pasta wheel) cut out the ravioli. Continue using up all the sheets, then repeat steps 4-6 with the other ball of dough.
7. Add the butter and sage to a frying pan over a medium heat, stirring continuously until it starts to brown and smell toasty. Remove the sage leaves and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and add the pasta, cooking for 90 secs before draining well.
8. To serve, spoon the brown butter over the ravioli and top with the crispy sage leaves and a few chilli flakes, if you like.