Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

Babbo’s iconic sealed pasta ‘love letters’ filled with sweet peas and mint, sauced with a spicy lamb sausage ragu.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe fresh pasta dough, rolled into thin sheets
• 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet peas
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint, plus 2 tablespoons for finishing
• 1 large egg yolk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pound spicy lamb sausage, casings removed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Blanch the peas in boiling salted water 2 minutes, drain, and puree half with the cream. Mix with the whole peas, Parmigiano, chopped mint, and egg yolk; season to make the filling.
2. Cut the pasta sheets into 3-inch squares. Place a spoonful of filling on each, brush the edges with water, fold into a sealed rectangle ‘envelope,’ and press out air.
3. For the sauce, heat the olive oil and brown the crumbled lamb sausage with the shallot over medium-high heat, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half.
4. Cook the love letters in gently boiling salted water until they float and the pasta is tender, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the butter and a splash of pasta water to the sausage to make a glossy sauce; gently toss in the drained love letters.
6. Plate, spoon sausage over the top, and scatter with the remaining mint.

Notes

Based on Mario Batali’s celebrated Babbo signature, the Mint Love Letters.