Pear & Pecorino Stuffed Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Pear & Pecorino Stuffed Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce is one of my the best dishes I had Florence this summer. I found this dish at an amazing little restaurant called Ristorante Natalino, a short walk from Piazza Santa Croce. The restaurant is a cute little place filled with locals where the owner is the hostess and sometimes your server. There were so many appealing dishes on the menu but the owner recommended this dish, and she was right. It was amazing and I savored every little bite. This dish drew me back to Ristorante Natalino three more times while I was in Florence. I made sure to note the ingredients in the dish so I could successfully remake this dish when I got home. I hope that you will give this pasta a try so you can get the chance to enjoy this amazing pasta. 

Ingredients
Makes 4-5 Servings

Step 1 - Pasta
200 grams or 2 1/2 cups flour 
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Place the flour on a smooth surface and create a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well and slowly beat the eggs. Once the eggs are scrambled, start slowly adding in a little flour at a time with and continue to mix with a fork. Keep mixing until you can't use the fork and start kneading the dough with your hands. Continue to knead for 10 minutes. If the dough is sticky add in a little flour at a time until you have an elastic ball. 
Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. 

Step 2 - Filling
2 Bartlett pear, peeled and shredded or finely diced
1 cup marscapone cheese
1 cup pecorino cheese
cracked pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and place into the fridge.

Step 3 -Sauce
1 tbs butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream or milk
4 oz of crumbly Gorgonzola

Place all ingredients into a very large pan, bring to a simmer on medium/high heat until the cheese melts. Once the cheese has melted turn the heat to a low and cover until pasta is ready. Add more cream if needed to thin it out.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a slow boil.

Step 4 - Stuff em! 
Use a pasta roller to foll out your dough until it is thin. I thin mine from 0-6. You can either make traditional ravioli squares and cut off the edges or you can make Santa bags like I did above. To do this cut the dough into 2" rectangles and place a small spoon of stuffing into the middle. Grab all four ends of the dough and bring them together, connecting the side of the dough and twisting to close the seam. Continue to flour the pasta so it doesn't stick. Once all of the pasta is stuffed, carefully drop a few at a time into the boiling water. Once the pasta floats it is ready. 

Remove the pasta with a strainer and place into the sauce. Continue to do this until all of the pasta is cooked. Serve warm with chopped parsley garnish.

Buon Appetito!