Ramp Ricotta Ravioli with Garlic Sauteed Fava Beans

I talk so much about seasons here (and generally all throughout my life). I live in the upper Midwest. We get four solid seasons, and I like to feel them change.

So, feel this dish. It's April in food form. Labor intensive and built on two of spring's most illustrious early risers: ramps and fava beans. We've waited all year for this, pals. Let's celebrate by spending four hours making dinner on a week night.

Ok, it actually only took 2 and a half hours. But if you wanted to cut your time still more, consider buying cheese ravioli pre-made then sauteing the fava beans with the garlic and ramps, and finally, tossing it all together. Or how about mixing up a (warm or cold) pasta salad with ricotta, olive oil, garlic, ramps, and fava beans? That would be lovely too!

Anyway, here's the unabridged version. It was so good.

fresh egg pasta
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 whole ramps (bulbs and leaves), finely chopped
salt

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Combine the cheeses with the ramps and season to taste with salt.

With a teaspoon, scoop small piles of the ricotta filling onto the sheets of fresh pasta. Dip your finger in a little water and trace lines along the pasta where you will eventually seal it together. Fold the pasta over and press down around the filling to seal, pushing out any pockets of air. Trim the raviolis up with a pizza cutter, then boil for 3 minutes or so.

about 50 fava bean pods
6 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons butter
4 olive oil
salt

You might want to prepare the fava beans to be sauteed while the pasta dough is resting.

Set a pot of water on to boil.

Remove the fava beans from their pods. This will take a while. Then, par boil those beans for 30 seconds or so. Plunge them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking and cool them. Then, remove the skins from the beans. You should be able to pinch the beans between your thumb and forefinger and squeeze the skins off.

You'll be left with lots of small, bright green beans. Take a look at what you started with. Yeah, fava beans take work. But they are worth it.

Over medium-low heat, saute the beans with the garlic for a couple minutes in the butter/oil. Season to taste with salt.

Place the fava beans in your serving bowls. Then, with a slotted spoon, scoop the raviolis from the boiling water directly onto the beans. Toss.

Serves 4-6.