Thanksgiving "Ravis" with Quick Sugo Finto
Ravioli cu 'u Sucu Fintu·(rah-vee-OH-lee koo oo SOO-koo FEEN-too)
Hyphenated Holidays: Sicilian-American Gatherings
In the Sicilian-American diaspora, no turkey touches the Thanksgiving table until the pasta course has been cleared. For the working-class immigrants who carried these traditions across the Atlantic, recreating a simmering Sunday meat ragù was an expensive luxury, birthing the ingenious 'u sucu fintu—a peasant sauce that relies on caramelized tomato paste and blooming fennel seeds to perfectly mimic the intoxicating aroma of slow-cooked pork sausage. Paired with ricotta and marjoram "ravis" tucked into store-bought pasta sheets, this is a masterpiece of pragmatic culinary deception that yields the exact taste of a grandmother's holiday kitchen without the multi-day labor.
Before you start
Drain the ricotta.
American supermarket ricotta contains excess whey that must be drained out overnight; skipping this step leaves you with wet ricotta, which turns to steam and causes the ravioli to explode in the boiling water.
Ingredients
- yellow onion1 med
- carrot1 large
- celery1 med
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- whole fennel seeds1 tsp
- double-concentrated tomato paste2 tbsp
- tomato puree28 oz
- bay leaf1 med
- whole milk ricotta1 lb
- Pecorino Romano1/2 cup
- egg yolk1 large
- fresh marjoram1 tbsp
- fresh pasta sheets16 oz
Method
- 01
Build the aromatic illusion.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, then add the minced onion, carrot, celery, and crushed fennel seeds, cooking slowly for 10 to 15 minutes until profoundly soft to release the fat-soluble oils that emulate the smell of cooking sausage.
- 02
Caramelize the tomato paste.
Clear a space in the center of the vegetables and add the tomato paste, letting it cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it deepens in color to a dark, rust-red to mimic historical sun-dried extract.
- 03
Simmer the sugo finto.
Pour in the tomato puree, add the bay leaf, and rinse the tomato can with a quarter cup of water into the pot; bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes until rich and thick.
- 04
Whip the ravioli filling.
In a mixing bowl, aggressively whip the drained ricotta, egg yolk, Pecorino Romano, and marjoram until entirely smooth and cohesive.
- 05
Assemble the ravis.
Lay out the pasta sheets and drop rounded teaspoons of the ricotta mixture about two inches apart, then lightly brush the dough around the filling with water and drape a second sheet of pasta over the top.
- 06
Purge the air and seal.
Using your fingers, press down firmly around the mounds of ricotta to force out all trapped air before sealing the edges and cutting them into squares.
- 07
Boil and marry the pasta.
Drop the ravioli into a large pot of aggressively salted boiling water, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until they float, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them directly into a wide pan holding a generous ladle of the warm sauce to gently toss and coat.
Notes
Embrace the weeknight permission.
While rolling fresh semolina dough is a beautiful holiday tradition, utilizing premium store-bought pasta sheets or even Asian wonton wrappers for the ravioli on a Tuesday night is entirely within the spirit of Italian home cooking, which prizes practicality above rigid dogma.