Ricotta and Culatello di Zibello Ravioli

Method

1. Prepare the pasta dough: On a work surface, mix 300g of 00 flour with 100g of fine semolina. Make a well, add 4 eggs and a pinch of salt. Mix with a fork, then knead by hand until smooth. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the culatello: If using a whole culatello wrapped in bladder, wrap it in a cloth soaked in white wine and let it soften for at least 24 hours. Alternatively, use vacuum-packed culatello which is ready to slice. Slice some culatello very thinly; reserve some slices for garnishing and finely chop the rest for the filling.
3. Make the filling: In a bowl, combine ricotta, mascarpone, the chopped culatello, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and a grind of black pepper. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Prepare the pumpkin cream: Cut the violin pumpkin (butternut squash) into cubes. In a pan, melt a knob of butter, add the pumpkin cubes, a few sage leaves, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of water and cook over medium heat until the pumpkin is very soft and can be mashed into a creamy consistency.
5. Roll out the pasta: Pass the rested dough through a pasta machine, starting at the thickest setting. Fold and pass twice for each setting, gradually decreasing the thickness until reaching the thinnest setting (the dough should be translucent).
6. Assemble the ravioli: Lay a long sheet of pasta on a clean surface. Place small dollops of filling at regular intervals. Moisten the edges of the pasta with water. Cover with another sheet of pasta. Press firmly around the filling to seal, removing any air pockets. Cut into individual ravioli.
7. Cook the ravioli: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the ravioli in and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they float and are tender.
8. Prepare the butter and sage sauce: While the ravioli cook, melt a generous knob of butter in a large skillet. Add a few sage leaves and let the butter foam and turn a light hazelnut color. Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water to create an emulsion.
9. Finish the ravioli: Drain the ravioli and transfer them to the skillet with the butter sauce. Toss gently to coat.
10. Plate: Spread a spoonful of pumpkin cream on each plate. Arrange the ravioli on top. Grate fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over them, place a thin slice of culatello di Zibello on top, and garnish with a few fresh sage leaves. Serve immediately.