Stuffing and sage ravioli

Method

1. For the pasta, sift the flour with a good pinch of fine salt onto a clean work surface to form a mound. Make a large well in the centre using the base of the sieve. Crack the eggs into a jug, add the 2 tbsp olive oil, whisk to combine, then pour into the well.
2. With a fork and then your fingers, gradually incorporate the flour into the beaten eggs, making circular stirring motions and bringing increasing amounts of flour into the centre of the mound. When the dough has come together with a soft but not sticky texture, stop adding flour (you might not need it all).
3. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it’s smooth and springs back to the touch. If the dough is dry and cracks begin to appear, add 1-2 tbsp water and knead for a bit longer. If it’s wet and sticky, add a little flour. Wrap well in a beeswax wrap, then chill for 30 minutes.
4. Recipe continues after advertising adslot-recipe-4
5. Meanwhile, make the filling. Crumble the leftover stuffing into a bowl, then stir in 200g of the mascarpone, the milk, sliced sage leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper until well combined. Add a splash more milk if it seems dry. Transfer to a piping bag with a 1cm opening and chill until needed.
6. To make the chestnut sauce, combine the chestnuts with the garlic, herbs, parmesan, remaining 50g mascarpone, lemon or clementine zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the 1 tbsp oil, then set aside.
7. Once the dough has rested, use a pasta machine to roll it out. It’s easier to cut the dough into quarters and run them through the machine piece by piece (wrap up the dough you’re not rolling to stop it drying out). Set the pasta machine to its widest setting, then flatten and shape the dough into a rectangle (making sure it will fit widthways through the rollers). If the dough seems a little wet, flour it lightly. Carefully pass the dough through the rollers, then fold in half, end to end. Repeat 2 or 3 times, folding and passing the dough through the rollers each time. If the dough sticks, sprinkle the machine and work surface with a little semolina or flour.
8. Once the dough has gone through the widest setting 2 or 3 times, narrow the setting by a notch, then carry on winding the pasta through, without folding the dough in half. The dough will get longer and thinner. Carry on rolling the dough through, narrowing the rollers by a notch each time until the pasta is very long, finishing with the machine’s second-thinnest setting. Keep the rolled-out dough on a worksurface dusted with semolina, covered with a clean, damp tea towel.
9. Pipe blobs of the filling, roughly 15g each, in a line along the top of the sheet of pasta, leaving 1-2 finger-widths of space above the filling and between each blob. Continue in rows until you’ve covered the sheet of pasta. Lay another sheet on top. Carefully press down around the filling to seal the ravioli and remove any air bubbles; it’s handy to use a chopstick or ruler to press a length at a time. Cut between each piece of filling. Use a fluted pasta cutter to get a pretty finish (or use a pizza cutter). You should make about 36. As you cut them out, transfer to a tray dusted with semolina.
10. Bring a large pan of heavily salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, swirling regularly, until brown and nutty. Heat the chestnut sauce in another pan.
11. Cook the pasta in the pan of water for 2-3 minutes until they float to the top. Drop the sage leaves into the browned butter to crisp up, then add the drained ravioli and stir gently to coat. Divide among plates, then spoon over the chestnut sauce to serve.