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GOURMET ZEFA ROMA grassezza della farcia e la dolcezza della pasta. Ed è appunto la variante dolce, magari con farcia di castagne e aggiunta finale di miele, cannella e diavulilli, cioé piccole perline di confetti colorati, ad essere molto diffusa nel Cilento, nell’Irpinia e in Calabria, cioé nelle zone interne dove prevale la cultura della cucina di montagna. Una cosa è certa, il raviolo nasce lì dove non esiste la tradizione di 50 pasta di grano duro, come piatto della festa e della gioia per i bambini. Impossibile stabilire con certezza come siano andate le cose anche perché conta il fatto che oggi il raviolo più famoso è appunto quello caprese, il piatto simbolo dell’isola, i cui segreti sono custoditi gelosamente dalle ultime massaie e dagli chef al lavoro nei ristoranti e negli alberghi. E allora meglio dare subito la ricetta classica per quattro persone. Utilizziamo mezzo chilo di farina, un paio di cucchiai di olio extravergine di oliva, un po’ d’acqua per la pasta mentre nel ripieno ufficialmente metteremo 300 grammi di caciotta secca, due uova, almeno 200 grammi di formaggio grattugiato, un po’ di maggiorana. Ma qui dobbiamo fermarci con le rivelazioni perché ciascuno ha il suo segreto sulla stagionatura del formaggio, decisiva
per la differente consistenza della farcia, e soprattutto per le erbe aromatiche mediterranee di cui Capri è sempre stato un museo botanico. Prepariamo la sfoglia mettendo in un recipiente la farina, l’olio extravergine di oliva, mezzo litro di acqua calda mescolando energicamente fino ad ottenere una pasta omogenea da far riposare qualche ora. A differenza della opulenta versione emiliana in questo caso nella pasta non si mettono né uova e né burro. A parte avremo preparato la farcia unendo la caciotta, in genere di latte vaccino, il formaggio grattuggiato, la maggiorana, le uova sbattute. Dopo un po’ riprendiamo la pasta, la lavo- ▼ RAVIOLI, THE KING OF PASTA by LUCIANO PIGNATARO A speciality of the island, whose secret lies in the filling Everyone loves ravioli, but what is the secret? You have to taste them, it is the ingredients for the filling that tempt a gourmet’s palate, which vary with each family recipe, and from region to region. It is ravioli, rather than spaghetti, that is capable of uniting Italians, at least around a table. And it is no accident that ravioli is the first kind of filled pasta to be documented between the end of the twelfth and the beginning of the thirteenth century, when a Savona farm-worker made his employer a lunch of bread, meat and ravioli during the grape harvest. During the thirteenth century, the Genoese began to export this pasta via their Mediterranean trading routes. For many centuries, these highways of the sea were the ones travelled by Italians. They were almost always safer than overland routes where you were as likely to be attacked by bandits as you were to find yourself trudging up and down hills and mountains, since the road systems built at the time of Roman Empire no longer existed. The origin of the word ravioli is unknown. Some people say that it derives from rabiola, a small turnip, others that it comes from rovigliolo (similar to the Italian word groviglio meaning “mesh”, which might perhaps refer to the filling). Others believe that the pasta was simply invented by a cook called Ravioli, who created dishes for the Genoese lords residing at Gavi Ligure, a strategic stronghold of the Republic. At the end of the thirteenth century, the raviolus is mentioned in the chronicle of Fra Salimbene of Parma. However, the word “ravioli” first appears as such in the Decameron, when Boccaccio associates this pasta with the townsfolk of Bengodi: “On a mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese, dwell folk that do nought else but make macaroni and ravioli, and boil them in capon’s broth.” Moreover, the Larousse Gastronomique also attributes the invention of ravioli to Italy. When the renowned seventeenth-century Genoese painter Giambattista Gaulli, called Baciccio, painted the ceiling of the Church of the Gesù in Rome, he ordered magnificent dishes of ravioli prepared by his relatives in Liguria to be sent to him, which ZEFA ROMA he enjoyed while taking a break from painting the saints and madonnas. In a more musical vein, Niccolò Paganini often mentions in his memoirs the fine flavour of piping hot, tasty ravioli stuffed with minced veal flavored with borrage, and sweetbreads, brains and marrow, according to the traditional Genoese recipe. Although ravioli originated in Emilia Romagna and were soon enjoyed also as far as Rome, they became a national dish with the advent of the consumer society. The differences lie in the size and filling, and haute cuisine chefs have created a thousand varieties of this gastronomic speciality. However, in southern towns ravioli are usually served with fresh cheese, especially pecorino, with added spices, and tomato sauce to counteract the richness of the filling and the slightly sweet flavour of the pasta. It is this sweet variety with a chestnut filling topped with honey, cinnamon and hundredsand-thousands that is typical of Cilento, Irpinia and Calabria, namely those inland areas where traditional mountain cooking is the mainstay. One thing is certain, ravioli were invented where durum-wheat pasta is not traditionally eaten, as a dish for celebrations, and one that children adore. It’s impossible to say exactly how things went, but what counts today is the fact that the Capri ravioli are the most popular. They are the speciality of the island, whose recipe is jealously guarded by the last of the traditional housewives and the chefs of the island’s restaurants and hotels. But what we can do is give you the basic recipe for four people. You’ll need half a kilo of flour, two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, and hot water for the dough, and 300 grams of hard caciotta cheese, two eggs, at least 200 grams of grated cheese, and a pinch of marjoram. But that’s all we can tell you because everyone has their own secret regarding the aging of the cheese, which is critical to the consistency of the filling, and the other aromatic Mediterranean herbs that are used, of which Capri has an infinite variety. To prepare the dough, put the flour, extravirgin olive oil and hot water into a bowl and mix well to obtain a smooth dough, then leave it to stand for an hour or so. Unlike the richer Emilia-Romagna recipe, eggs and butter are not used for the Capri ravioli. The filling should be prepared beforehand, by blending the caciotta (preferably made with cow’s milk) grated cheese, marjoram and beaten eggs, to a smooth paste. Then take the dough, kneed it for a few minutes, adding a little flour, and roll it out thinly. Cut out the rounds for the ravioli, put a spoonful of filling on each and seal the edges, which can be jagged or scalloped. Cook them in salted boiling water until they are al dente. ▼ 51
Page 1 and 2: OUR GUESTS: LUCA CORDERO DI MONTEZE
Page 3 and 4: PROTAGONISTI 6
Page 5 and 6: PROTAGONISTI meccanici quel Luca di
Page 7 and 8: PROTAGONISTI che d’estate Monteze
Page 9 and 10: AVVENIMENTI ARCHIVIO CONFINDUSTRIA
Page 11 and 12: AVVENIMENTI era come portare Il Cap
Page 13 and 14: AVVENIMENTI ARCHIVIO CONFINDUSTRIA
Page 15 and 16: ▼ grande attore napoletano ha dat
Page 17 and 18: Niente vacanze invece, e anzi una b
Page 19 and 20: CINEMA nomeno a suo tempo bistratta
Page 22 and 23: SIME - SIE sa “l’isola delle ca
Page 24 and 25: L’ISOLA no. Ma rassereniamoci pen
Page 26 and 27: Renzo Arbore. Dino e Matha De Laure
Page 28 and 29: ▼ «una profanazione…come togli
Page 30 and 31: A CENTURY OF SERVICE by CLAUDIO ANG
Page 33 and 34: PERSONAGGI lette erediterà dal pad
Page 35 and 36: PERSONAGGI pare addormentata, anche
Page 37 and 38: PERSONAGGI scrittori di Francia. Un
Page 39: I ravioli ripieni di caciotta sono

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