Just looooooove these...

When Francesco suggested me to order ravioli during my first stay in Capri I was like "Are you kidding me, I'm not going to eat boring tasteless ravioli!" Obviously not knowing what I was missing out on...  Was I glad that he insisted because they were absolutely AMAZING!!! Tender, fluffy clouds of delight. Definitely one of my favorite dishes in the world. 

Ravioli Capresi

Simple recipe, big mess. My kitchen (and I) looked kind of like the last scene of Scarface... 

A tip from the cook; make a lot and freeze them for later. I made 120 ravioli with 1 kg of all-purpose flour (and some more for dusting), 1 liter of  boiling water, 5 table spoons of olive oil extra vergine. For the filling you need 5 eggs, 700 grams of  Caciotta di Sorrento cheese (ricotta), 400 grams of grated Parmesan, fresh marjoram leaves, salt and pepper.

La pasta (the dough)

On a clean surface combine the flour, water and olive oil and stir the ingredients with a fork to combine into a big ball. 

Il ripieno (the filling)

Beat the eggs. Combine the Caciotta, Parmesan and the eggs. Stir well.  Add the finely chopped marjoram, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir again.

Dust the work surface and a rolling pin. Take one third of the dough and roll it into a thin (3 mm) rectangle. Place rounded teaspoons of cheese filling on one half of the rolled dough. Make sure that they're 1,5 cm apart. Gently fold the other part of the dough over the cheese filling. Use a small round cutter mold to cut out the ravioli. If you don't have a ravioli cutter mold use a knife to make small rounds (note; ravioli capresi are NOT SQUARE!). In this case you have to seal them by pressing the edges down with your fingertips.  If you have an original italian stampo (mold) for ravioli capresi it's not necessary. Keep on cutting until there's no dough/filling left. 

I guess portions of  8 to 10 ravioli a person are perfect.  Just boil them in a large pot of salted water and take them out when they're floating. Serve them with a sauce of fresh pomodorini, olive oil, garlic, fresh basil leaves, oregano and peperoncino.

You'll love them!

P.S. If you're interested in a genuine capresi ravioli cutter send a mail to culinary@postcardsfromcapri.com

Delicious cheese filling...

1,2,3,4...

55,56,57... 58...

Jack my little kitchen aid to the rescue...

118, 119... 120 ravioli! We did it!

A proud cook.

Easy does it

Spaghetti alla puttanesca

This Neapolitan dish is easy to make and full of flavours. The secret to the perfect "spaghetti alla puttanesca" (literally "whore's spaghetti") lies in the patience of the cook. My brother-in-law is a very patient man… his puttanesca is THE BEST! I enjoyed it for the first time in their home in Milan on a rainy day...delicious and comforting. The ingredients are typical mediterranean: olive oil, garlic and capers. I’m a big fan of capers, so the Caprese capers picked and pickled by Nonna were a special treat. That reminds me of the day that my sister and I went caper picking ourselves at the ruins of Villa Jovis. It turned out to be a real adventure. Did you know that capers grow on steep rocks and walls, sometimes very difficult to reach? We didn't... Both of us not really cliffhanger type of girls...you can imagine what happened. We almost risked our lives for a total of 5 capers!  We had fun though...

Ingredients

A big splash of olive oil extra vergine

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced very thinly

grounded peperoncino, to taste

4 drained anchovy fillets cut in small pieces

1 pound of diced sweet tomatoes (pomodorini or tasty tom’s)

A handfull of drained capers

25 quality olives (we use the typical purple “gaeta” olives)

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

5 basil leafs, torn by hand

1 cup of freshly chopped parsley, preferably flat leaved

salt, to taste

1 pound spaghetti

Preparation

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic until golden, add peperoncino and the anchovies. Saute until the anchovies melts. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Bring the mixture to boil, reduce heat and leave to simmer over low heat. After 20 minutes add capers and olives, oregano and the fresh basil. Again, leave to simmer (don’t forget to stir every couple of minutes) until the sauce reduces and thickens. This process is neccesary to give the sauce its caracteristic sweet tomato flavour. Add a pinch of salt (to taste) and the chopped parsley. Stir, leave for 2 minutes and mix with the spaghetti. A perfect puttanesca!

Francesco swinging his 

magic wand

I thought I died and gone to heaven...

One of my favourite lunch places on the island is definitely Ristorante Il Riccio, a fishy h(e)aven for fish lovers. It's located in Anacapri, on the cliffs right next to the famous Grotta Azzurra (great to combine the two). Beautifully decorated, amazing views and the most incredible seafood. The perfect place to spend your sunday and  take a dip, enjoy a delicious lunch and relax on a sun bed and just dream away with a chilled falanghina... 

Thank god it's sunday today!

P.S. If you can't choose what to eat because you're worried you're going to miss something great, order one of their antipasti selections  and try them all!

P.P.S. Very important; Leave some room for their dolci. They have this room, which we like to call "the secret chamber", that is packed with amazing desserts. You can eat as much and as many as you want... Definitely heaven!