Egg Yolk Raviolo with Pea and Ricotta, Cacio e Pepe (Demo)
Prep. Time:
30 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting)
Baking Time:
4–5 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Serves:
2 ravioli (2 servings)
Matthew Ryle created this dish for MasterChef UK Professionals Season 18. This egg yolk raviolo is a single, generous pasta parcel filled with a pea and ricotta mixture seasoned with mint and lemon zest, with a whole raw egg yolk nestled at its centre. Cooked at a gentle simmer for exactly four minutes, the yolk remains just warm and perfectly runny, creating a sauce within the dish when cut open at the table. The cacio e pepe sauce uses oven-toasted whole black peppercorns, equal parts Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, starchy pasta water and butter, emulsified over low heat. Monica Galetti called the result 'spot on,' Matt Tebbutt said the egg yolk was 'incredible,' and Marcus Wareing declared it 'sensational.'
Chef’s Notes: The Full-Circle Moment
Why This Dish Is the Perfect Skills Test
Marcus Wareing identified it precisely: “To make raviolo sounds simple enough, but takes so much skill, so much care.” This single dish tests pasta-making, filling technique, egg yolk handling, sealing precision, temperature control for cooking, and emulsification for the sauce - six distinct skills in one plate. It also
tests timing: the cacio e pepe must be ready the moment the raviolo finishes cooking. Too early and the sauce cools and seizes; too late and the raviolo sits and the yolk continues setting. Matthew’s own first skills test in 2018 was a sausage meat ravioli, so he understood exactly what kind of pressure this dish creates.
Matthew’s Key Technique Details
Three specific details from Matthew’s demonstration elevate this beyond a standard raviolo recipe. First, the oven-toasted peppercorns - 5 minutes in a 350°F oven - intensify flavour in a way pan-toasting cannot match. Second, partially crushing the peas to eliminate pressure points that could rupture the pasta. Third, cutting the pasta into squares first to maximise sealing room, then trimming to a disc after assembly. Each detail solves a specific problem that the contestants encountered.
What Went Wrong for the Contestants
Lana produced a technically sound raviolo - the egg yolk oozed beautifully and Marcus said the pasta was perfectly cooked - but her cacio e pepe sauce substituted cream and butter for the proper cheese emulsion. This is the most common cacio e pepe mistake: it feels like the sauce needs cream for body, but
authentic cacio e pepe’s silkiness comes entirely from the combination of starchy water, cheese, and butter.
Anthony’s problems were more dramatic: he broke his egg yolk during assembly (fresh eggs are essential for stronger membranes), used whole peas (Matthew’s flagged risk), and cut his pasta too small, forcing an emergency re-cut. Despite all this, he recovered and was named the day’s strongest performer overall - a testament to how his signature dish redeemed the skills test mistakes.
The Full-Circle Narrative
Matthew’s return to the MasterChef kitchen is one of the most resonant moments of Series 18. In 2018, he was a nervous finalist facing a sausage meat ravioli skills test. Now he’s the executive chef of two acclaimed London restaurants, a Sunday Times bestselling author, and the man setting a raviolo skills test for the next generation. He told the cameras it felt “very kind of full-circle.” His cooking philosophy - “taking humble and simple ingredients, preparing them in a classical way, and doing special things to them” - is perfectly embodied in this dish: peas, ricotta, an egg yolk, cheese, pepper. Nothing exotic. Everything elevated.
Troubleshooting Guide
• Egg yolk breaks during placement: Use the freshest eggs possible — fresher yolks have tighter, stronger membranes. Separate the yolk gently using the shell-to-shell method or your hands. Slide it from a small bowl rather than dropping it. If it breaks, use a new yolk; there’s no recovering a broken yolk inside a raviolo.
• Raviolo bursts during cooking: Most likely cause: trapped air inside the parcel. When sealing, press outward from the filling to the edges, expelling all air before sealing. Also ensure peas are partially crushed (not whole) and the water is at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
• Egg yolk is set solid when cut open: Cooked too long or water too hot. Time exactly 4 minutes at a gentle simmer. The yolk continues setting after removal, so serve immediately.
• Egg yolk is still cold and raw: Pasta too thick, preventing heat transfer. Roll to the thinnest or second-thinnest setting. Also ensure the filling mound isn’t too large, insulating the yolk.
• Cacio e pepe sauce is clumpy/grainy: Pan was too hot when cheese was added. The cheese must melt into warm (not hot) starchy water and butter. Remove pan from heat, add pasta water, then add cheese gradually while stirring. If it clumps, add a splash more warm pasta water and whisk vigorously.
• Pasta is too thick or doughy: Roll thinner. For raviolo, you need the thinnest setting on your machine that doesn’t tear. You should be able to see the shadow of your hand through the sheet.
• Filling is too wet and won’t hold its shape: Drain the ricotta in a sieve for 30–60 minutes before using. Also drain the blanched peas very thoroughly and crush to release excess moisture before mixing.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
• Pasta dough: Make up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate, tightly wrapped. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.
• Pea and ricotta filling: Make up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate. Stir well before using.
• Assembled ravioli (without yolk): You can assemble the ravioli with filling but without the egg yolk up to 2 hours ahead, keeping on a floured tray under cling film. Add the yolk just before the final seal and cooking.
• Assembled ravioli (with yolk): Cook within 30 minutes of full assembly. The raw yolk will begin to absorb moisture from the filling, weakening its membrane over time.
• Cacio e pepe sauce: Cannot be made ahead - it must be emulsified fresh and served immediately. It’s a 3-minute sauce.
• Toasted peppercorns: Toast and crack up to a week ahead. Store in an airtight container.
Variations & Substitutions
• Classic uovo in raviolo (San Domenico style): The original version from Ristorante San Domenico in Imola uses spinach and ricotta filling with butter and sage sauce. Replace peas and mint with blanched, squeezed spinach and nutmeg.
• Brown butter and sage alternative: For a simpler sauce, melt butter until it foams and turns nutty brown, add crispy sage leaves. Spoon over the raviolo with shaved Parmesan. Lets the egg yolk be the star.
• Truffle version: Add a drizzle of truffle oil or shaved fresh truffle over the finished dish. The runny yolk and truffle is a classic Italian luxury combination.
• Mushroom filling: Replace peas with finely diced sautéed mushrooms (porcini, chestnut, or a mix) and thyme instead of mint. Keep the egg yolk and cacio e pepe.
• Matthew’s French twist: True to his brasserie style, you could add a touch of crème fraîche to the filling and finish with chervil instead of Parmesan for a French-Italian crossover.
• Simplified version (no egg yolk): If the egg yolk technique is too daunting, make the ravioli as standard filled pasta with the pea-ricotta filling, sealed as half-moons or squares. Serve with the cacio e pepe sauce. Still delicious; just missing the showstopping cut-open moment.
Ingredients
Instructions
MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH
Mound the flour on a clean work surface and create a deep well in the centre. Add the 6 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, olive oil and salt to the well. Using a fork, gradually incorporate the flour from the inner walls of the well into the egg mixture, working outward until a shaggy dough forms. Knead firmly for 8–10 minutes until completely smooth, elastic and springy. Wrap tightly in cling film and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). Resting relaxes the gluten and makes rolling dramatically easier. If short on time, high-quality fresh pasta sheets from an Italian deli work well.
TOAST THE PEPPERCORNS
Spread the whole black peppercorns on a small baking tray. Toast in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 5 minutes. Oven-toasting intensifies their flavour far more than dry-frying, which can scorch unevenly. Once toasted, crack them coarsely using a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a heavy pan — you want rough, visible pieces, not fine powder. The cacio e pepe sauce depends on this pepper having genuine presence.
MAKE THE PEA & RICOTTA FILLING
Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then refresh immediately in ice water and drain well. Place two-thirds of the peas in a bowl and partially crush them with a fork — not to a purée, but breaking most peas so they are rough and jammy with some whole pieces remaining. Whole, round peas create pressure points inside the raviolo that can puncture the pasta or cause the parcel to burst during cooking; partially breaking them down eliminates this risk while preserving texture. Mix the crushed peas with the drained ricotta, Parmesan, chopped mint, lemon zest, salt and pepper. The filling should be thick and cohesive, not wet. If the ricotta is watery, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 30 minutes first.
ROLL THE PASTA
Divide the rested dough in half (keep the other half wrapped). Roll through the pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and progressively working down to the thinnest or second-thinnest setting — thin enough to cook through in 4 minutes but strong enough to hold the filling and yolk without tearing (approximately 1 mm / setting 1 or 2 on most machines). Cut into large squares, approximately 15 cm / 6 inches — cutting squares at this stage allows maximum room for sealing before trimming to a disc.
ASSEMBLE THE RAVIOLO
Place a pasta square on a lightly floured surface. Spoon a generous mound of filling (about 3 tablespoons) into the centre, then use the back of a spoon to create a deep well in the filling. Very carefully separate an egg yolk and gently slide it into the well. The yolk must sit cradled in filling, not touching the pasta directly. Use the freshest eggs possible — fresher yolks have stronger membranes. Brush the exposed pasta border with egg wash. Place the second pasta square on top and seal meticulously, pressing outward from the filling to expel all trapped air. Any air pocket will expand during cooking and could burst the raviolo. Use the large round cutter to trim into a neat disc, leaving at least 2.5 cm / 1 inch of sealed border around the filling. Repeat for the second raviolo.
BEGIN THE CACIO E PEPE SAUCE
In a wide, shallow pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the cracked toasted peppercorns and let them infuse for 1–2 minutes — the butter should gently sizzle around the pepper. Combine the grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano in a bowl. Do not add the cheese to the pan yet — the emulsification happens at the end, and the temperature must be carefully controlled to prevent the cheese from seizing into clumps. Authentic cacio e pepe has no cream — the emulsion comes entirely from starchy water, cheese and butter.
COOK THE RAVIOLO
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle simmer — not a rolling boil, which will toss the raviolo and risk breaking it open. Carefully lower the ravioli into the water using a slotted spoon or spider. Cook for exactly 4 minutes. At 4 minutes the pasta is cooked, the filling is warmed through, and the yolk is just warm and perfectly runny. Before removing the ravioli, ladle out approximately 60ml / half a ladle of the starchy cooking water and reserve for the sauce.
FINISH THE SAUCE AND PLATE
With the pepper butter pan on very low heat (or off the heat), add the reserved starchy pasta water and swirl to combine. Add the mixed cheeses a handful at a time, tossing and stirring constantly until you have a glossy, creamy emulsion that coats the back of a spoon. The pan must not be too hot — if the cheese hits high heat it will seize into grainy clumps rather than emulsifying. Gently lift the cooked ravioli from the water with a spider or large slotted spoon and place directly into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over and around, turning the raviolo gently to coat. Transfer to warm plates, finish with a final grating of Parmesan over the top and serve immediately. Cut into the raviolo at the table to reveal the warm, golden, perfectly runny yolk flowing into the cheese sauce.