Occhi with Bottarga & Lemon

Inspired by Misi

Ingredients:

Pasta Dough:

• 1 cup ‘00 wheat flour

• 1/2 cup semolina flour

• 2 eggs, 2 yolks

Mascarpone Occhi:

• 16 oz. Mascarpone cheese

• 1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated

• 4 tbsp. salted butter

• 1 lemon, halved

• 1/3 cup bottarga, grated

Directions:

Pasta Dough:

1. In a bowl, mix together the two types of flour and create a well. Add in your eggs and yolk. Using a fork, whisk the eggs, slowly bringing in the flour to form your dough. Once the dough has formed, knead for about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for a minimum of one hour.  The dough can be made ahead of time and rest overnight.

Mascarpone Occhi:

1. For the filling, combine Mascarpone cheese and grated Pecorino Romano in a bowl. Mix and set aside.

2. After the dough has rested, divide into four even pieces and roll out into long, thin sheets. (I used an 8 on the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment).

3. To form the occhi, place about 1 tbsp. of Mascarpone filling for each occhi along the pasta sheet. Spritz the sheet with water and place another pasta sheet on top. Press down to seal and use the cookie cutter to shape the occhi. The occhi making process is similar to ravioli, just using a round cookie cutter to shape the occhi instead of a ravioli stamp.

4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add plenty of salt. Add your occhi and boil for 2-3 minutes until it begins to float to the top and is fully cooked.

5. Meanwhile, melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat and then add the lemon juice. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain and add to the sauce pan. Toss and plate. Top with grated bottarga and serve!