Homemade ricotta and spinach ravioli with sage butter

Method

1. If preparing both original and lighter portions, set aside the ingredients and quantities specified for the lighter portions; the remainder is for the original portions. Prepare the two versions separately whenever their cooking or seasoning differs. Quantities given for the whole preparation are divided between the separate containers, not repeated in each one. Tip 200 g flour onto the work surface, make a well and add the beaten eggs. Draw in the flour with a fork, then knead by hand for 10 minutes, pushing with the heel of your hand. The dough should become smooth and firm; if dry crumbs remain, add a teaspoon of water from the reserve. Wrap tightly to make an airtight seal and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the still-damp spinach in a large frying pan, cover and cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes. Uncover and stir for 1 minute. Leave to cool in a colander, then squeeze firmly between your hands: no water should drip out when squeezed. Chop very finely with a knife.
3. Mix the spinach with the drained ricotta, 30 g Parmesan, 2 g salt, the pepper and nutmeg. The filling should hold in a small mound on a spoon without releasing water. Refrigerate while rolling out the pasta.
4. Divide the dough into four and keep the unused pieces wrapped. Flatten one piece, pass it through the widest setting of the pasta machine, fold in three and repeat twice. Then pass it once through each progressively thinner setting, dusting very lightly with flour, until the sheet is less than 1 mm thick and you can see the shadow of your hand through it. Without a pasta machine, roll it out gradually on a floured work surface, turning the dough often.
5. Lay a strip of pasta on the work surface and place small mounds of filling, about 15 g each, at 6 cm intervals. If the pasta has dried, lightly moisten around each mound with a wet finger. Cover with a second strip, push out the air from the centre towards the edge around each mound, then press the seam firmly closed. Cut into 6 cm squares with a pastry wheel. Check that no filling extends through the edges.
6. Lay the ravioli without overlapping on a lightly floured tray. Continue with all the dough and filling; gather the trimmings, let them relax under cling film for 5 minutes, then roll out one last time. Expect about 20–24 ravioli, depending on the thickness of the pasta. Heat enough cooking water for the pan (reference volume: 2 litres for two portions) and add 20 g salt.
7. Heat the butter and sage in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until foaming, nutty-smelling and the leaves are lightly crisp. Remove from the heat. Cook the ravioli in batches without crowding the saucepan (two batches for the two-portion reference recipe) in gently simmering water, without a rolling boil, for 3–4 minutes: the edges should be tender and the filling hot. Taste the edge of a raviolo before lifting out the batch.
8. Lift out the ravioli with a slotted spoon, place in the sage butter and add cooking water by the spoonful (guide: 2 spoonfuls for two original portions). Gently shake the pan over a very low heat for 30 seconds to coat them without breaking them. Add the Parmesan reserved for serving (20 g in total, divided between the versions) and serve on warm plates.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.