Each time we welcome a new guest into the Pennsylvania Kitchen, it provides us (and you!) a chance to learn something new: to meet a chef or artisan from the local food scene; to explore PA-grown ingredients in creative ways; or to try an unfamiliar technique. When Chef Ian Newman came to visit, we got to enjoy a combination of all of those things!
We very much enjoyed getting to know Newman, who we’ve been hearing great things about for awhile, first when he was the executive chef at POUR on Prince and and then as the chef de cuisine at Amorette (two exciting restaurants in Lancaster). Newman, who is originally from Reading, has a strong passion for local produce and artisanal techniques, which was made abundantly clear in the recipes he brought along: homemade raviolo and cacio e pepe. The raviolo in particular is a celebration of the season: each vegetable included in the recipe, sourced from Village Crest Farm in Strasburg, PA, was hand-picked to sing of spring: meaty royal trumpet mushrooms, tender stalks of asparagus, bright green fava beans and crunchy pea shoots. Making pasta by hand is time-consuming but so rewarding, and tucking a whole egg yolk (go local with Sauder’s Eggs!) into the little package of pasta? That’s a stroke of total genius — we love learning stuff like that! The luxurious touches of caviar and prosciutto make the dish feel so special and considered, and while both of these ingredients are optional, we suggest the splurge.
While making Chef Newman’s spring raviolo might not be doable for a quick family dinner, it’s worth taking a leisurely weekend afternoon to make each component of the dish, and then compose the plate for a beautiful, seasonal dish that showcases the bounty of local produce and eggs.
Check out the video for the technique, then head here for the full recipe!
- Video and photo: Dish Works
