ricotta cavatelli with ramp pesto cream

Cause we are all suckers for ramps this time of year…

what you need

for the ricotta cavatelli

230 g 00 flour

230 g semolina

3 g kosher salt

230 g ricotta

2 large egg yolks

water as needed (will need more if ricotta is on the dry side)

for the ramp pesto cream

one bunch of ramps, washed and roughly chopped

~ 1 cup fresh grated parm

~ 1/3 cup evoo (I used a lemon infused)

~ pinch of salt

~ few splashes lemon or yuzu juice

what you do

make pasta dough by mixing dry ingredients, creating a well, adding wet ingredients, and mixing until combined. Add water gradually as needed. When dough starts to come together, refrain from adding more water because it will continue to absorb the moisture as you knead.

If you have a vacuum sealer, allow dough to rest in a vacuum sealed bag for 10-15 mins. Otherwise, continue to knead until dough is soft, then cover and allow to rest for 10-15 mins.

After dough has rested, divide, roll, and shape into cavatelli. Here is a good video to reference for shaping! Place cavatelli on a sheet pan dusted with semolina and cover with a clean dish towel until ready to use that day.

make the ramp pesto cream

combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. taste and adjust as needed. raw ramps have a strong flavor so don’t be afraid to go heavy on the salt/ parm and add more citrus to cut the bitterness.

when ready to serve, boil a pot of salty (SALTY!) water and add cavatelli. cook for 8-10 mins until they begin to float. scoop directly from water into a fry pan with your warm ramp pesto cream. grate more parm over the top and swirl to combine/ emulsify the sauce with the residual pasta water. enjoy immediately :)