Caramella of Mint and Ricotta

1. 1

   Place egg and flour in a bowl and mix with a fork until it resembles bread crumbs.

2. 2

   At this point use your hands to bring the mixture together to form a dough.

3. 3

   Place the dough on a lightly floured work service and kneed until shiny.

4. 4

   Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 1/2 hour.

5. 5

   While the dough is resting, make your filling by mixing together the ricotta, lemon zest, nutmeg, mint and Parmesan - you may want to reserve a little Parmesan and mint for serving - and then carefully season to balance the flavours.

6. 6

   Squeeze a little lemon juice into the mix to loosen it a bit.

7. 7

   If you're partial to a little bit more Parmesan, mint or lemon, then do personalize the dish to your liking.

8. 8

   Roll good teaspoons of the mix into little balls ready to fill your caramella.

9. 9

   Run dough through pasta machine on its thickest setting a until it is smooth and shiny.

10. 10

    Reduce setting each time until the pasta is roughly as thick as a beer mat.

11. 11

    Cut the pasta into 10 (4 by 2 1/2-inch) rectangles.

12. 12

    Fill the middle with the little balls of filling and brush lightly with water.

13. 13

    Roll up.

14. 14

    Keep on a flour-dusted baking sheet in the refrigerator until you need them, and try to cook them as fresh as possible.

15. 15

    Make as many as you can, but I like to serve about 4 per person.

16. 16

    To serve, place the caramella in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

17. 17

    Melt 3 good knobs of butter in a non-stick pan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and a couple of tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.

18. 18

    Season a little, and toss the pasta in this flavoured butter.

19. 19

    Serve straight away with a little extra Parmesan and mint scattered over the top.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.