Raviola di Ricotta Nissena

A sweet fried ravioli of sheep's ricotta, dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Not vegetarian — contains lard, ricotta whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 400 g fine semolina flour
• 60 g lard
• 40 g caster sugar
• 140 ml dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 600 g sheep's ricotta, drained 24 hours
• 180 g caster sugar, for the filling
• 80 g dark chocolate, in small pieces
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep frying, which is poured off
• caster sugar and cinnamon, to dust

Method

1. Drain the ricotta in a cloth for 24 hours, weighted.
2. Undrained, its water turns to vapour inside the sealed pastry and splits the ravioli open in the pan.
3. Rub the lard into the semolina, sugar and salt, add the wine, and knead to a firm dough. Rest it an hour.
4. Beat the drained ricotta with the sugar, pass it through a sieve, and fold in the chocolate.
5. Roll the dough thin and cut 9 cm discs. Put a spoon of filling on each, fold to a half moon, and SEAL THE EDGE WITH A WET FINGER THEN CRIMP IT WITH A WHEEL. A seam that opens empties the ravioli into the pan.
6. Chill them 30 minutes before frying so the pastry firms.
7. DEEP FRY at 170C, three at a time, 3 minutes, turning once.
8. DUST THEM WITH CINNAMON SUGAR WHILE STILL HOT so it sticks, and eat them the same day — the pastry softens overnight. Pour the oil off once cooled.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes