Cocoa Ravioli: A Taste Explosion between Sweet and Savory! Looking for a first course to wow your guests? Cocoa ravioli are the perfect choice! An unexpected combination of fresh cocoa pasta and a rich, flavorful filling made of ricotta, walnuts, and smoked bacon. Topped with melted butter, sage, and Grana Padano, these ravioli are a taste explosion that combines tradition with creativity.
A Sophisticated Dough
The base of these ravioli is a dough enriched with unsweetened cocoa, giving the pasta an intense color and a slight bitter aftertaste that perfectly balances the flavor of the filling. The thin and delicate sheet is perfect for enclosing the soft and creamy heart of the filling.
A Rich and Flavorful Filling
The heart of this first course is the filling, a perfect combination of flavors. Fresh ricotta provides creaminess, walnuts add crunchiness, and thyme adds fragrance. This mix of textures and flavors makes the filling irresistible and pairs perfectly with the cocoa pasta.
A Classic and Refined Sauce
For the sauce, we’ve chosen a timeless classic: melted butter, sage, and Grana Padano. The butter, melted slowly, releases all its aroma and envelops the ravioli with a creamy sauce. The sage, with its intense fragrance, enhances the filling’s flavor, while the Grana Padano adds a savory and crunchy note. Cocoa ravioli are a versatile dish suited for different occasions. They are perfect for a family Sunday lunch, a romantic dinner, or a special occasion. Their preparation requires some time, but the final result will reward every effort.
Here are other delicious fresh egg pasta recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 542.86 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 57.07 (g) of which sugars 1.76 (g)
- Proteins 29.79 (g)
- Fat 23.90 (g) of which saturated 11.43 (g)of which unsaturated 7.22 (g)
- Fibers 3.86 (g)
- Sodium 743.02 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 218 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for cocoa ravioli
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2.5 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups ricotta
- 3 oz oz Grana Padano cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste thyme
Tools
- Mixer KitchenAid 5KSM125 Artisan 4.8 L Stand Mixer
- Board Birch Wood Pastry Board 75 x 50 CM made in Italy
- Pasta Machine Imperia PastaPresto Electric Pasta Machine with 230V Motor, Stainless Steel, Silver
- Pasta Machine Imperia Ipasta Classic Pasta Machine, Fresh Steel Pasta, Manual Pasta Roller with Crank, for Lasagna, Tagliolini, Fettuccine, 100% Made in Italy
- Mold Verbania Shop Large Square RAVIOLI Mold 24 SPOTS Ravioli 1.5 x 1.5 in Aluminum with Wooden Roller
- Pasta Cutter NC – Set of 3 Stainless Steel Pasta Cutters for Ravioli
Steps for cocoa ravioli
Let’s start preparing the fresh egg pasta, to the dough you only have to add the cocoa. Once you have the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour
Let’s prepare the filling: In a large bowl, put the ricotta, mash it with a fork to make it softer. Add the cheese, chopped walnuts, finely chopped thyme, mix everything well, and finally adjust with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Take the dough and on a floured board begin to roll out the sheet. I use the electric pasta machine, but nothing stops you from doing it by hand with a rolling pin or a manual pasta roller. Prepare a thin and wide enough sheet, using a teaspoon or a pastry bag, distribute balls of filling on half of the sheet. Cover with the other half, press the edges with your hands to adhere well, then with a pastry cutter wheel cut your ravioli, about 1.5 inches in size. Or use a large ravioli mold
Boil the ravioli in plenty of salted boiling water, draining them as soon as they float to the top. Immediately place them in a pan where you have melted the butter, once hot add sage leaves, cook for a few minutes, then plate and sprinkle with Grana and some chopped walnuts
Storage, variations, notes for cocoa ravioli
The ravioli can be frozen and stored in suitable food bags to be used when needed. They are an extremely versatile dish and lend themselves to numerous variations. You can replace the smoked bacon with sautéed porcini mushrooms for a more intense flavor, or add fresh spinach to the filling to make it lighter. The sauce, besides butter and sage, you can also try one with porcini mushrooms, a delight
The ravioli can be frozen and stored in suitable food bags to be used when needed. They are an extremely versatile dish and lend themselves to numerous variations. You can replace the smoked bacon with sautéed porcini mushrooms for a more intense flavor, or add fresh spinach to the filling to make it lighter. The sauce, besides butter and sage, you can also try one with porcini mushrooms, a delight
