The pastabilities are endless.
Especially with the right tools.
With his ravioli dough, the right fillings, and some insider tips and techniques, you’ll be speaking ravioli in no time.
TIP: Getting the dough as thin as possible is key.
TIP: Recipe calls for just Italian ‘00’ soft wheat flour. For e very 100g of flour you will need one large egg.
According to the currents of thought of Emilia Romagna region (home of fresh homemade pasta), you should not add salt to the dough but only to the boiling water
RECIPE: ITALIAN RAVIOLI DOUGH
The secret to remarkable ravioli dough is stretch. You need a forgiving dough to pull over your fillings, one that will bend and expand without cracking or ripping. The base dough that we use for all three pastas in this primer is made to do just that.
In Emilia-Romagna ravioli are typically filled with ricotta e spinaci (ricotta and spinach), whereas in the small region of Molise, ravioli scapolesi is filled with sausage and chard. In northern Italy pumpkin ravioli is a popular pasta dish served in winter, traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve.
RECIPE: SPINACH RICOTTA RAVIOLI
Yields 10 servings or 2 ½ cups of filling
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 10 oz spinach, cleaned and trimmed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated nutmeg
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Set a fine-mesh strainer lined with a couple of paper towels over a bowl. Add the ricotta and allow it to strain out excess liquid for 5-10 mins.
- Boil a large saucepan of salted water. Plunge the spinach in and blanch for 30 seconds, then remove.
- Finely chop the drained spinach.
- In a medium bowl, combine chopped spinach with ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use to fill pasta immediately, or refrigerate for up to one day before use. When filling ravioli, add a small mound to the center of the pasta. Depending on the size of your dough, this can be ½ to 1 ½ tsp of filling. Don’t overfill, as the pasta won’t stay sealed when boiling.
- Seal the edges with a little water and press out any air.
- Boil the ravioli for a few minutes, until they float to the top of the pot.
- Serve with a simple butter and sage sauce, or your favorite basic tomato and garlic sauce.
HOW TO USE RAVIOLI MOLD:
STEP 1: The roll wheel can be used for cutting cookie/pasta/ noodle, comes with fluted edges to provide precise cutting.
STEP 2: Place your prepared filling evenly on the dough. (The filling can be vegetables, meat, cheese, etc.)
STEP 3: Press downward firmly with the Ravioli Stamp to cut the dough and seal the stuffing inside.
STEP 4: Finish your own homemade ravioli!
HOW TO COOK HOMEMADE PASTA:
According to Rolando Beramendi who wrote the book, "Autentico: Cooking Italian, the Authentic Way," the cooking time for homemade pasta ranges from 2 minutes (for tagliolini) to 5-8 minutes for larger sizes.
For all types of pasta, the cooking must have these proportions: 1 liter (4 cups) of water, 100g (3.5 oz) of pasta and 10g (1/2 teaspoon) of salt.
This proportion of water and pasta is essential. The starch in the flour must have the right amount of water in order to dissolve without forming a saturated solution of starch. Thus, your pasta would end up being sticky and not digestible. When cooking fresh egg pasta, add a teaspoon of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.