Tomato, ricotta and guanciale stuffed girella pasta

Tomato, ricotta and guanciale stuffed girella pasta: Method

Pasta Dough

1. Combine the 00 flour, eggs and tomato juice in a large bowl. Mix together with a fork until a crumbly dough forms, then go in with your hands to bring it together into a cohesive dough. Knead for 10 minutes on a flat surface, until smooth and supple. Wrap in cling film and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Tomato Sauce

1. Finely dice the shallot and crush the garlic cloves. Add the olive oil to a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the shallot and a little salt. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the shallot starts to soften. At this point, add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened up nicely. Stir through the basil leaves. TIP: For a super smooth sauce, you can use a blender or food processor to blitz it up at this point.

Filling

1. In a small, cold pan, add the diced guanciale. Set over a medium heat and cook, rendering out the fat, until the guanciale is crispy. Set the pan aside.
2. Add the ricotta, ¾ of the guanciale and all the rendered fat, a handful of fresh basil leaves, the lemon zest, a pinch of salt and pepper and 100g of the tomato sauce to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz into a smooth puree, then transfer to a piping bag.

Parmesan crisp

1. For the crispy parmesan, heat your oven to 180C fan, and pile the grated parmesan onto a baking paper lined tray. Bake for 8 minutes, until golden. Set aside to crisp up further.

Assembly of the pasta spiral

1. Line a baking tray with polenta. Cut off a quarter of the dough and re-wrap the rest of it. Flatten the dough with your hand until it’s about 1cm thick. Set your pasta machine to its thickest setting (0) and roll the dough through once, then increase the setting and roll through again. Fold the ends into the middle, like an envelope, so the width of the pasta sheet is similar in width to the pasta roller. Roll the dough through the thickest setting once more. Continue rolling the pasta sheet through the machine twice on each setting until you can see your hand through the dough, but it’s still holding together well. This is generally a 6 or 7 on a Kenwood attachment. Dust the pasta sheet with flour if it’s getting sticky going through the machine.
2. Lay the finished sheet out on a polenta dusted surface. Trim the ends, so you’re left with an even, long rectangle. Pipe a long, thick line of the filling all the way down the pasta sheet, leaving a little room on the edge. Fold the dough over itself to enclose the filling. Press firmly onto the dough so it’s sealed well.
3. Use a fluted cutter to trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch overhang above the filling. Turn the long, filled pasta carefully, so that the trimmed edge is facing the roof. Carefully form the pasta log into a curly, spiral shape and transfer to the polenta lined tray.

Cooking and serving

1. Add salt to a large pot of water and bring to the boil. Set your tomato sauce back over a low heat to keep it warm. Once the water is at a rolling boil, carefully add the ravioli spiral into the water, using a spatula. Let it cook for a few minutes, until al dente.
2. To serve, spoon some of the tomato sauce onto the base of your plate, then top with the ravioli spiral. Finish with the reserved guanciale, more basil leaves and crispy parmesan.