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1
Cook the sweet potato in boiling salted water for 20-30 mins until tender. Meanwhile, to make the pasta, mix the semolina and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs with 1 1/2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp water. Knead with a dough hook to make a smooth supple dough which comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. (If the dough is too crumbly, add a little more water; if it's too wet, add a little more flour.) Turn the dough onto the work surface (not floured) and knead by hand for 8-10 mins until the dough is elastic. Shape into a ball, rub it with a little oil then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Leave it to rest at room temperature for 30 mins.
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2
Drain the sweet potatoes, put back on the heat briefly to dry off, then leave 10 mins to cool off. Add a pinch of salt and all the spices and mash well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and pecorino to make a fairly firm filling for the ravioli.
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3
Cut the pasta dough in half. Re-wrap one piece. Roll the other piece out on a lightly floured work surface to a 5 inch square. Dust the dough lightly with flour and roll it several times through a pasta machine until you have 2 strips measuring about 6 x 16 inches. If it breaks or splits, fold and roll again until you reach the thinnest setting on the rollers. If you don't have a pasta machine, roll the dough out by hand to the same size, as thinly as you can. Do this with the other piece of dough as well.
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4
Spoon the sweet potato filling into a large piping bag and pipe blobs, about 3/4 inch round, over 2 of the pasta sheets, leaving a gap of 1 inch between each one. Brush around the filling with egg white. Lay the other 2 sheets of pasta dough over the top and use your fingers to press around the filling to seal it in. Use a pastry wheel or a knife to cut around the filling so the ravioli are about 2 inches square. Put them on floured baking sheets.
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5
Add 8-12 raviolis at a time to a large pot of boiling salted water and simmer 4-5 mins. Take them out with a slotted spoon and drain well. Cook the rest of the ravioli in batches.
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6
Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the tomatoes and saute 5 mins. Season well and add the honey and thyme sprigs, or just the leaves, then the butter. When that melts, add the ravioli to warm through for 2-3 mins. Serve on hot plates and sprinkle with more grated pecorino.
