Mantua chicken salad with parsley ravioli
A delicious Italian chicken salad and ravioli combination inspired by the late Alastair Little.
Ingredients
For the Mantua chicken salad
- 1 large free-range chicken
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú pine nuts
- 200ml/7fl oz red wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2½cm strip lemon peel, pith removed
- 2½cm strip orange peel, pith removed
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp mignonette pepper
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú raisins
- 250ml/9fl oz best quality extra virgin olive oil, to dress
- 8 heritage tomatoes, sliced or oven-dried tomatoes
- handful basil leaves
For the parsley ravioli
Method
To make the Mantua chicken salad, place the chicken in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and poach for 1-2 hours, or until cooked through. Leave to cool in the pan of water overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Place the pine nuts on a lightly oiled baking tray and toast for around 7 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
Bring the vinegar to the boil in a small saucepan and add the bay leaves, lemon and orange zest, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the raisins, tomatoes and toasted pine nuts and set aside.
Remove the chicken from the pan, retaining the cooking liquor to cook the ravioli. Remove the fat and skin from the chicken and discard, then shred the meat from the bones.
Put the shredded chicken into a large bowl, pour over the dressing and coat thoroughly. Allow to come to room temperature.
Just before serving, dress the salad with the olive oil and basil leaves.
To make the ravioli, place the flours, eggs, egg yolks and salt in a food processor and pulse until it comes together. Add 1-2 tablespoons water if needed. Cover and rest for 1 hour in the fridge.
Using a pasta maker, set the rollers to their widest setting and roll the pasta through, then narrow the rollers by changing the machine setting by one notch, then pass the rolled pasta through the rollers again. Dust the rolled pasta with flour. Repeat the process until the pasta sheets have been passed through the narrowest setting on the machine.
Place whole parsley leaves in a row in the centre of a long sheet of pasta, then fold in half and seal with water. Cut into squares and repeat until you have 36 ravioli.
Bring the poaching water leftover from cooking the chicken to the boil and cook the ravioli for 1-2 minutes. Season the broth with salt and pepper and serve with the ravioli with the salad on the side.