Can you believe we’re already at day three of this year’s Emmy celebration, The Gold Wing? And who better to join me than icon, filmmaker and queen Ava DuVernay. While she is better known for her work in movies, my girl Ava is also an Emmy winner and knew that there was no one better to help me run the directing odds.

While I’ve only known Ava for a couple of years – after meeting through Lupita while she was filming August 28 for the Smithsonian – our bond was instantaneous, and I was thrilled to watch her go from strength to strength after our meeting.

I’m not saying that I am the reason for her stratospheric rise … but I am saying I am clearly a good luck charm. And clearly she thinks that, because she even forgave me for my epic blow-up after she wouldn’t cast me in A Wrinkle in Time.

Given how busy we both are, I’m thrilled we were able to make a date work. Particularly since I blindly trust this icon’s view on direction and there is no one else I could trust when running the odds.

Anyway for Comedy Av went with Hiro Murai for Atlanta while I obviously stuck with stanning Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For Drama we both agreed it is likely going to one of the Game of Thrones episodes, eventually deciding on Alan Taylor. She went with Stan Lathan for Dave Chappelle: Equanimity for Variety Special, while I think it is Marcus Raboy’s to lose for Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life and we agreed that David Leveaux and Alex Rudzinski will take Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

Again, it was another gruelling discussion – particularly with my bookies breathing down my neck – so I whipped up some delicious Giant Ravaoli DuVernay.

 

 

While I may have had too many shandy’s before whipping these up, making them look slightly bung, they are still extremely delicious. No matter what your level of sobriety may be.

Enjoy!

 

 

Giant Ravaoli DuVernay
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
6 rashers of streaky bacon, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
400g can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup parmesan, grated
¼ cup basil, roughly chopped
2 tbsp thyme leaves
3 sage, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chilli
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
1 batch Alan Pastarkin
ricotta and extra parmesan, to serve

Method
Place a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion and bacon for five minutes, or until soft and sweet, and crispy, respectively. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the tomatoes and paste. Reduce heat to low and stir through the parmesan, herbs, chilli, breadcrumbs and a good whack of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool for ten minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil while you form the pasta.

Lay out eight lengths of pasta, spoon in a heaped tablespoon of mixture in the centre of one side. Brush the edges with water and fold to enclose. There will be leftover filling, relax.

Cook the ravioli a couple at a time for about twenty seconds, or until the pasta is tender. Repeat until they’re all done.

Serve immediately, with a heaping of the remaining sauce, the ricotta and a smattering of parmesan. And then devour.

 

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