Pasta all'Uovo | Fresh Egg Pasta

Last weekend I was flying solo. David spent three days in beautiful, sunny Italy. He flew over early Friday morning on the red-eye flight with his friend Brian to visit their friend Carl who lives in Terni. From the WhatsApps their trip looked amazing!

They cycled all around Rome, spent a lazy day at a lake, drank expensive wine, ate cornettis for breakfast, indulged in lots of magnificent pasta, sipped coffees, strolled through cobbled streets - basically they spent the whole weekend 'being Italian'.

Meanwhile, back at the house, I was busy being cleaner, chef, judge, waitress, driver, story teller, teacher, counsellor, I could go on but you get the picture. The best part, I didn't have to be nurse once!

When he woke up on Monday morning, after he was practically knocked over by the boys for hugs, he went looking for his suitcase and took out their presents. They all got super hero t-shirts which the little ones won't take off. Callum even slept in his that night and went to Montessori in it again yesterday; I promise I'll wash it today!

For my present, I got, wait for it... a beautifully wrapped package... that David took out of the fridge... When I opened it, inside was... pasta! Fresh egg pasta made the previous day in Terni. Which I presumed he wanted for dinner? I also got a business card.

Actually, I was delighted! It's not everyday I get fresh pasta flown home from Italy.

So I spent the next hour happily reading through recipe books looking for inspiration for the perfect sauce to go with my our present.

David's photos from 'Colasanti' the little pasta shop in Terni...

Pastifico Colasanti, Terni, Italy. Website here

Here's what I made...

Goats Cheese Ravioli with Walnut, Wild Garlic & Parmesan Cream Sauce

What you'll need:

• 300ml double cream
• 2 shallots, sliced
• ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
• 75g Parmesan, grated
• handful of wild garlic, chopped
• salt and black pepper

Wild garlic is a leaf. It grows in my parent's garden in Wexford covering most of the flowerbed at one part. At this time of year I get a fresh supply almost weekly and on Monday I got my first bunch of this years harvest from my Mum. It was perfect timing for my ravioli sauce. I was able to use the delicate leaf for the sauce which complimented the fragile ravioli instead of overpowering it like a minced garlic clove might.

How to make the sauce:

Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. You want the cream to be hot enough so it's bubbling away, but not so hot that it boils over.

Stir every so often, and continue to boil for 40-50 minutes until the cream coats the back of a wooden spoon similar to a white sauce.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 10 minutes until soft and golden.

Toast the chopped walnuts in a dry pan over a low-medium heat for 10 minutes.

Take the cream off the heat and add the grated Parmesan, shallots, walnuts and wild garlic. Stir until the cheese melts into the cream. Add salt and pepper and put back on the heat for two minutes until the rest of the ingredients are heated through. Pour over the ravioli until completely coated.

Spaghetti with Four Cheese Sauce

What you'll need: 

• 300ml double cream
• 25g Gruyère, grated 
• 25g Brie, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan
• 25g Roquefort, chopped
• salt and black pepper

I mostly had French cheese in the fridge for this sauce - luckily it still tasted Italian!

How to make the sauce: 

Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. You want the cream to be hot enough so it's bubbling away, but not so hot that it boils over.

Stir every so often, and continue to boil for 40-50 minutes until the cream coats the back of a wooden spoon like a white sauce.

Take the cream off the heat and add the Gruyère, Parmesan, Roquefort, Brie, salt and pepper. Stir quickly until the cheese melts into the cream. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until coated.

Serve with a crusty baguette to mop up the cheese sauce and, of course, a glass of vino.



Stupefacente! Delizioso! Bellissimo! I almost turned into an Italian while I was eating!