Makai no Chevdo Ravioli

Cut the kernels off the corn, remove 1 cup of kernels, and set aside. Blend the rest of the corn kernels until fairly smooth.

Add vegetable oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to sputter, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Stir well, add curry leaves, and saute for 30 seconds. Add garlic, ginger, and chili paste and saute for 1 minute. Add the blended corn and saute for 1 minute. Add turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, and chaat masala. Stir well and cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat off and stir in the cilantro, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Remove from heat and cool completely.

While the filling cools, make the pasta. Add flour, egg, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarse (about 5-8 pulses). Stream in the olive oil while the processor is running at low speed. Add 1 tsp of water and pulse 5-6 times. The dough should come together if pressed together. If it feels too dry, add 1 tsp of water and pulse until the crumbs are moist.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and bring together. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest on your counter for at least one hour.

While the dough rests, finish your filling. Remove the curry leaves from the filling. Stir in ricotta, parmesan cheese, and sugar into the filling. Give it a quick taste and season it with salt as needed. Fill a piping bag or gallon-size ziplock bag with the filling as set aside.

Once the dough has rested, dive it into 2 pieces. Wrap the one half in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Take the other half of the dough and flatten it. Roll the dough out using a pasta roller, starting at the widest setting. Fold the ends over into an envelope-style fold and run the dough through the pasta roller again. Run the dough through each setting twice until you reach setting 6, or the pasta is thin enough to see through. If the dough gets too long, you can cut it in half to help manage it better. Dust the pasta lightly with flour as needed.

I cut my pasta sheets so they fit over my ravioli mold. However, if you don’t have one, you can cut your pasta sheets into equal lengths. To make the ravioli without a mold, pipe 1 teaspoon of filling 1 inch apart onto one pasta sheet. Use a damp finger to brush the pasta with water. Place another pasta sheet on top and gently press around the filling to help it seal. Use a knife or cookie cutter to cut the ravioli out. Repeat until all the filling has been used.

If using a ravioli mold, lay our a lightly floured sheet of pasta over the frame. Take the mold and press it over the top of the press, pressing it down evenly. Remove the mold and fill each cavity with the filling. Run a damp finger between the filling and top with another pasta sheet. Use a rolling pin to press and roll the dough together firmly and slowly. Roll the rolling pin across several times to ensure the dough is cut by the ridges of the frame. Flip the frame and place the ravioli onto a baking tray dusted with semolina or additional flour. Repeat until all the filling has been used.

To make the sauce, add half the butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 1 minute. Add curry leaves and saute for another minute. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and black pepper, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the butter and lemon juice. Stir well.

To cook the ravioli, bring a pot of salted water to a gently simmer. Cook the pasta for 3 minutes and drain. Add the ravioli to the sauce and gently toss over low heat. Garnish with parmesan, lemon zest, and cilantro.