Since some may sneer at the idea of cheese mingling with fish, I call these pasta pillows rather than ravioli. They do resemble pillows in shape and due to the citrus involved in the sauce, have a lightness that compliments the seafood, despite their ricotta filling.

Olive oil or Olive oil infused with hot chili flakes

¼ C wheat flour

1 C white flour

2 large eggs

1 C ricotta cheese

¼ C basil, divided

3 cloves garlic, divided

1 lime

¼ C Parmesan cheese

¾ lb shrimp or scallops

1 t oregano

1 C cherry tomatoes

2 beefsteak tomatoes

2T parsley, divided

½ T butter

To make the pillow dough

Mix wheat flour, white flour, eggs and 1t salt and knead for 9 minutes.  Let rest on the counter for a half an hour covered by the bowl you mixed it in.

To make the pillow stuffing

Combine ricotta, 1T minced basil, 1 clove of garlic, grated, zest of 1 lime, 1t of chili oil or olive oil with a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.

To assemble the pillows

Divide the dough ball into quarters. Run each quarter through a pasta machine 8 times, turning up the setting each time until you reach setting 8.   Lay each strip out on a floured surface when done. Dollop 1t of stuffing about 2 inches apart along the middle of each strip until all of the stuffing is used. Dip your fingers into a shallow dish of water and spread a thin veneer of moisture around the edges of the dough. Gently lift one long side of the dough over to meet the other long side and press to seal.  If the ends are tapered you can tuck them over the stuffing before folding like you would when making a burrito.  Cut between ricotta blobs to separate pillows.  One by one pick up and press the edges together.  Trim off any excess, think about the proportions of a pillowcase to a pillow.  You want only that much extra pasta, only enough so it won’t bust open.

Marinate seafood

Combine seafood with 1t olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, chopped oregano, salt and pepper.  Set aside to marinate in a refrigerator.

To make the sauce

Turn on oven to 500 degrees.  Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1t of oil, salt and pepper on a shallow baking pan big enough so the tomatoes are in one layer with enough space around each. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. (There is no need to wait for the oven to preheat for too long.  It doesn’t matter if the oven never gets up to 500, it’ll be hot enough for the little guys. You just want them popping and blistered.) In a saucepan, heat 1t oil and 2 grated garlic cloves over low heat for 5 minutes. Add chopped beefsteak tomatoes, season with salt & pepper and turn up the heat until tomatoes simmer for 10 minutes.  Add half of the cherry tomatoes when ready and turn down heat to low.

The end game

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Add pillows to the water at the same time you add the marinated shrimp to the sauce.  Cook pillows for 6 minutes.  After cooking 5 minutes, add the butter and chopped basil and parsley to the sauce.  Let the butter melt.  Turn off heat and add about ½ C of the sauce on the bottom of each serving plate.  With a spider, scoop the pillows out of the water and place on top of the sauce on each plate.  Top with the remaining sauce and cherry tomatoes.

Cooking time: approximately 1 hour

Serves 2