Ravioli all'Uovo: The Egg Yolk Showstopper

Cathrin Simon
2 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

Ravioli all'uovo is my absolute showstopper — the kind of dish I make when I want to genuinely impress someone. There's something special about cutting into a raviolo and watching a silky egg yolk run out, merging with the filling and sauce. It looks far more difficult than it actually is, and this guide walks through the whole process.

Ingredients

Egg pasta dough, sheeted to setting 5
Simple ricotta filling
1 egg yolk per person, separated

Tools

Food processor
Piping bag
Large round cookie cutter (or a medium bowl with a sharp rim)
Large wooden working board
Dry kitchen towel

Mark your circles

Lay your sheeted dough on your working board and use your cookie cutter to gently indent (not cut through) circles — this gives you a guide for sizing everything that follows.

Pipe the filling

Using your piping bag, apply filling in a ring around the center of each indent, leaving about two fingers' width of free space in the very middle. I like to go two rounds: a flatter base layer, then a slightly thinner top layer, so the filling forms a natural little well in the center.

Add the yolk

Very gently glide a separated egg yolk into the center well, being careful not to break it.

Seal and cut

Place a second sheet of dough over the top. Starting from the center, pat down gently with your fingertips to remove excess air, working outward. Seal the two layers together around the outer rim, then use your cookie cutter to cut out the finished raviolo.

The tricky part: boiling

Getting the yolk to the right consistency — silky and still runny, but not raw — takes a little care on your first attempt. Boil your first trial raviolo with a strainer underneath so you can lift it out every 30 seconds or so after the 3-minute mark, gently pressing to check the yolk's firmness. Once you find the exact timing that gives you the texture you want, boil the rest for that same length of time.