Onorina’s krafi with ricotta (Krafi di nonna Onorina)

"Krafi are a bit like ravioli; this version is traditionally served at weddings. The filling may seem a bit unusual, but the sweetness is not overpowering, and adds a wonderful balance to the salty parmesan. I like to serve them with melted butter and plenty of grated parmesan."

Onorina’s krafi with ricotta (Krafi di Nonna Onorina) Credit: Paola Bacchia

• serves

  4

• prep

  50 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

My distant cousin Tara, pop singer and resident of Cittanova/Novigrad, found me via social media. Her nonna Onorina is 92 and her maiden name was Bacchia; she was also born a few kilometres from the town in which my grandfather was born... Tara speaks Croatian as well as Istrian–Venetian dialect and cooks the same food. One day she sent me photos of her nonna Onorina and an image of her beautiful krafi, which she still makes by hand, served with a meat ragù.

Ingredients

• 1 x quantity Egg pasta (recipe below)
• sea salt

Egg pasta (Pasta all’uovo)

Serves 2

• 200 g (1⅓ cups) '00' pasta flour
• 2 eggs
• super-fine semolina or extra flour, for dusting

Filling

• 45 g sultanas 
• 30 ml grappa
• 200 g ricotta, drained
• 100 g (1 cup) grated parmesan
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• zest of 1 small lemon
• 20 g sugar
• 20 g dry breadcrumbs

To serve

• melted unsalted butter
• plenty of grated parmesan

Serves 4 as a starter (makes 24–26 ravioli).

Soaking time: 2 hours (depending on how far in advance you are making the pasta, you may wish to soak the sultanas while working on the pasta). 

Resting time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. To make the egg pasta, place the flour on your work surface in a mound and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well. Start whisking the eggs gently with the tines of a fork, incorporating a bit of flour at the same time. Keep whisking, making an ever-widening circle as you incorporate more flour. The mixture will eventually become too thick for you to use the fork, so start using your fingertips, working the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have used up most of the flour and a ball of dough forms. You may need to add a bit of water/flour to get the right consistency.
2. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place on a plate, cover with an upturned bowl and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. After your dough has rested, dust your work surface with semolina. Cut off half the dough and keep the rest covered.
4. Roll out the dough portion with a rolling pin until it is thin enough to go through the widest setting of your pasta machine. Thread it through the rollers of the machine, turning the handle to make the rollers move. Allow the pasta sheet to drop from the machine. Fold the thinned sheet in half, dust it with semolina if it is sticky, and give it a quarter turn, before threading it through the machine again. The quarter turn means that the pasta is going through the machine in a different direction and is essentially being kneaded. As you continue to fold, roll and turn the dough, the gluten will start to work, and it will become firmer and smoother. Repeat as many times as needed to make the dough lose much of its stretch (usually five or six times) and look somewhat glossy. Try to keep the dough in a rectangular shape, especially at the end of this process; you may need to use the rolling pin to help you shape it.
5. Once the dough has become firm and glossy, start turning the dial of the machine so the rollers are closer together, rolling the dough thinner each time. You no longer need to give the dough a quarter turn, and you will only need to roll it once through each setting. Dust the pasta sheets with semolina if the dough sticks to the machine as it goes through.
6. Roll out your pasta dough until it is thin – usually the third-last setting of your pasta machine. The pasta used to make krafi is a little thicker than what you would use to make regular ravioli. Repeat with the other portion of dough.
7. Dust your finished pasta with super-fine semolina, to help stop the pasta shapes or sheets sticking to each other.
8. To make the filling, soak the sultanas in the grappa for at least 2 hours. The sultanas should have absorbed most of the grappa; if not, drain and reserve the grappa for another use (such as in your coffee!).
9. Place all the filling ingredients, except the breadcrumbs, in a bowl and stir until homogenous. Add as much of the breadcrumbs as you need to make a thick paste; this will depend on how wet your ricotta is. 
10. To assemble, cut circles of pasta dough using a 9 cm diameter ravioli cutter or cookie cutter. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle, leaving a clear edge to fold the circles in half. Seal with a bit of water, using your fingertip to apply it around the filling. Press down so that you do not incorporate any air. Decorate the edges using the tines of a fork.
11. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the krafi for about 7 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to your liking. Serve topped with melted butter and plenty of grated parmesan.

 

Note

• Fresh pasta dries out quickly, so it is best covered with a clean tea towel (at room temperature) and used within several hours of being made. You could also store it in a cool spot, such as the fridge, for up to a day, well dusted with super-fine semolina, and in a single layer – preferably in a wide (not tall) sealed container.

Istria: Recipes and stories from the hidden heart of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia by Paola Bacchia, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $55.00). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

My distant cousin Tara, pop singer and resident of Cittanova/Novigrad, found me via social media. Her nonna Onorina is 92 and her maiden name was Bacchia; she was also born a few kilometres from the town in which my grandfather was born... Tara speaks Croatian as well as Istrian–Venetian dialect and cooks the same food. One day she sent me photos of her nonna Onorina and an image of her beautiful krafi, which she still makes by hand, served with a meat ragù.