Faux Babbo Ravioli

By Sam Sifton

Updated May 23, 2024

Faux Babbo Ravioli
Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
4(65)
Comments
Read comments

One of the singular pleasures of eating out in New York City in the early years of the new century was the arrival of a plate of steaming beef-cheek ravioli at Babbo, Mario Batali's flagship restaurant on Waverly Place in Greenwich Village. The delicate pasta triangles glistened beneath a velvety sauce made of crushed squab liver livened with capers and anchovies.

So I set out to make the things myself, at home. To do so required a few adjustments, of course.

The truth is, Italian food demands but does not require the best ingredients and the haughtiest treatment. No cuisine so rooted in poverty ever can. So substitute chicken liver for the squab in the sauce. Substitute brisket for beef cheeks in the filling. As Batali said one day over coffee, you could use anything braised, anything soft.

Featured in: THE CHEAT; So You Still Can't Get a Reservation at Babbo?

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1medium white onion, chopped
  • 1celery stalk, chopped
  • 1pound beef brisket cut into 1-inch cubes (or short ribs)
  • 1cup red wine, plus more as needed
  • ½cup chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, plus more as needed
  • 1large pinch chopped fresh rosemary
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Pasta dough for ravioli (see recipe)
  • 5tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Chicken livers Toscani (see recipe)
  • 1handful Italian parsley, chopped
  • ½cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add onion and celery and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high and (working in batches, if necessary) brown beef on all sides. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. When the mixture returns to a boil, cover and place in oven until meat is fork-tender, 45 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove pot from oven and allow to cool. Skim off excess fat, transfer to a food processor, and pulse until smooth. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of wine or 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  3. Step 3

    Cut sheets of pasta into 4-inch squares. Place 1 tablespoon beef filling into the center of each square. Wet edges of pasta with warm water, and bring two opposite corners of each square together to form a triangle. Press edges to seal. Put finished ravioli on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic and place in freezer until needed.

  4. Step 4

    Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Heat butter in a large sauté pan until it browns but does not burn. Add about half the chicken livers Toscani and sauté for 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of the salted water to loosen the sauce. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

  5. Step 5

    Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to pan of chicken liver sauce. Add parsley and ¼ cup grated pecorino. Toss lightly. Divide ravioli on four warm plates. Spoon extra sauce over each serving and top with cheese. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
65 user ratings
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Comments

S. R. Chemiist

The amount of liver in the sauce completely overwhelmed the delicate ravioli. The sauce with half a recipe of Chicken Livers Toscani which is half a pound of chicken livers. I think a couple of tablespoons of the liver mix would have been better. I won't be making this again.

2tattered

I would always use short ribs over brisket, and will try the recipe with the ribs. I'd also like to try it with a duck confit replacing the beef. Might be heavenly. I'll let you know...

Augi

Chuck roast was used for the braised. It cooked for over six hours so it could be pulled apart with a fork, as almost a puree. My Chicken Livers Toscana turned into a pate which was excellent on bread or crackers and also could be mixed with hard boiled egg. I made a sauce of the Chicken Livers Toscana mixing with melted butter and parsley. It tasted great on the ravioli but looked awful. Next time I will make a butter sauce and add "chopped chicken Toscana to the butter, parsley sauce".

Dean

Not what you would expect. Super fantastic. I didn't change a thing. Even my 15 year enjoyed it - twice! It is a production, but worth it. The liver is the dish - just step outside the comfort zone and you'll be amazed.

Slavin

This was divine. I used egg roll wrappers indtead of pasta, which were OK, next time pasta, I think (I Love to make pasta.) AND - used short ribs, I suspect we could have eaten them just as they were when they came out of the oven. DEEEEElish. Will def make again.

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