Ravioli, homemade, (about 150)
from Shenanchie O'Toole
http://pages.zdnet.com/shenachi/essays/id4.htm
Ravioli's are a true Italian delight, and there are countless stuffing
variations you can prepare for them. The store-bought versions are passable,
and some brands are very good. But there is absolutely nothing like homemade
ravioli's. They are a lot of work, but the end result is wonderful. Once you
make these culinary treats, you probably wont ever forget how!
My first experience with making ravioli's from scratch was quite a marathon
(nine hours from start to finish), and I did it entirely on my own. I was
helped along with a few bottles of wine (its a wonder I remember anything),
and I swore Id never do it again. This was about eight years ago, and of
course I've made them again (perhaps once or twice a year), and each time
I've made the pasta dough from scratch, and formed them using the manual
ravioli cutter. The easiest part of this process was cooking the stuffing
ingredients (on my first "outing," I cooked ground beef and pork, with
minced onions, garlic and spices). The clean up can get a bit sticky
(rolling, cutting and forming the dough leaves that nice concrete-like flour
residue in every nook and cranny, so be careful!).
Below is a more ordered description of this art, and I hope I have refined
it over the years. Even though I only do it once or twice a year, it is
still quite an event in my house! You'll see what I mean when you read on!
Setting the Scene:
The first thing you need to do before beginning the ravioli process is
defining your work area. I know I'm making it sound like a major military
operation, but trust me, you need to do this! Once you get started - and as
you near the end - your "work area" will become very important. The ideal
setting is having as much space as possible, but if you don't have this
luxury, you have to make do with what you have (as I did when I made them
for the first time). Things can and will get very mucky if you don't clean
as you go as well. Counter space is ideal, and if you have to clear off
toasters, canisters, or knickknacks (just to work), this would also be
advisable. Clean surfaces are a must, and a cutting board or two wouldn't
hurt, either.
Ravioli, homemade, (about 150)
Below is a summary of stuffing ingredients, although this can vary depending
on your taste. Some folks prefer cheese stuffing and no meat, or chicken
filling, but the recipe below is what I always use.
the Stuffing:
2 lbs. ground pork and/or beef
2 large eggs
1/4 C bread crumbs (use more if needed)
2 C cooked spinach (or a 15 ounce can)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine
½ C each grated celery and carrots
1 C minced onions
4 TBS. Olive oil
1 TBS. Parsley
½ TBS. Basil
salt and pepper to taste
4 TBS Romano cheese
If you have a large, sturdy frying pan (with a Teflon cooking surface if
possible), this will do nicely. Even a large cooking/soup pot will work.
Choose your stuffing ingredients to your own taste, although the basic
ingredients include fresh garlic, olive oil, onions, celery, carrots,
parsley, salt, pepper (and any other spices you prefer). Quantities depend
on how much stuffing you're making, and what your preferences are. I use a
lot of garlic (freshly minced), and I always add a touch of Romano cheese to
my stuffing mixture as it cooks. The choice of meat is also a personal
choice, although I always use a combination of ground pork and beef. (You
could substitute with the beef, or chicken, or simply cheese). Make sure the
meat is ground fine, and break it up more in the cooking process if need be.
The vegetable ingredients (onions, celery and carrots) need to be finely
minced or grated.
I start out with a large bowl, adding the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs and
spices. Mix all of this together very well, and then spread out some of the
olive oil in your cooking pan. Warm this up just a bit, and then add the
grated/minced vegetables. Let these cook for a few minutes, stirring, until
they become almost opaque. Then add the meat mixture, mixing in well with
the vegetables. Cook on a low heat, stirring often, until all of the meat is
cooked and the vegetables are tender. Add the spinach and Romano cheese and
mix in well. Drain off any excess fat, but return the meat mix to the pan
(or into another large bowl). I always mix in a bit more olive oil into the
meat mix, but I also save some of it for when I cook the ravioli in water
much later!). This mixture will sit tight while you make the pasta dough, or
you can cover it and set it in the fridge until you are ready to stuff the
ravioli.
The quantities depend on how much you want to make, and how many ravioli's
you want to end up with!
The above recipe will make about 150 ravioli's. However, this is not as much
as it sounds (considering eight ravioli's is regarded as one serving). When
you're finished preparing the stuffing, it really doesn't look like much,
either. But believe me, once you start stuffing the ravioli's, it will seem
like your stuffing mix is growing rather than minimizing!
Now comes the fun part! To be honest, making the pasta dough and stuffing
the ravioli to shape them is the hardest part, and the most time-consuming.
And the messiest! But it is well worth the trouble and struggle, because
there is nothing like homemade raviolis (except for tamales and tortillas!).
basic ravioli dough:
3 ½ C all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
3 large eggs, beaten
2 ½ TBS cooking oil
½ C lukewarm water
The ingredients are that simple. Sift the flour into a large bowl, making a
well in the center. Add the salt, oil, eggs and water. Mix the flour and the
liquid together gradually with a wooden spoon, until all of it is absorbed.
Place the dough on a floured board, and knead until the mixture seems dry
and smooth. (Add more flour if the dough seems sticky). Cover with a tea
towel and let stand for about fifteen minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll out
the dough in handfuls at a time, until the flattened dough is very thin (but
not transparent so that the filling may break out). Form the dough and cut
into 4 inch circles.
This is where making the ravioli may become tricky (especially if you're
using a manual cutter). These cutters can be purchased at any kitchenware
department, and they usually come with small handles to fold the filled
dough over. Place the dough circle (one at a time) into the center of the
ravioli cutter, and put about a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the middle.
Carefully fold over the cutter, so that the edges are pinched in and have
formed a nice "fanned" look. The edges should hold together, but if you are
having trouble with this (as I did the first time), take a little cornstarch
mixed with water, and rub the edges gently). Repeat this process with all of
the dough, and all of the meat mixture. Lay completed ravioli on a large
cookie sheet while you finish. (You may have some of the meat mixture left
over, and this is always good to add as an "extra" in any meat sauce).
In a very large pot, bring water to a boil (enough to fill the pot 3/4
full). Add salt and olive oil to the water. When the water starts to boil,
add the ravioli (perhaps ten to twenty at a time). Boil gently for about 10
minutes, or until the ravioli's rise to the surface of the water. Drain and
cool, trying not to rip open any of the ravioli skin.
If you only want to cook a small portion of the ravioli's to eat, you can
freeze the uncooked portions in freezer bags. (I would recommend freezing
around 16 per bag - which constitutes two servings - and try layering them
with wax paper so they don't stick together. Another method is to partially
freeze the raviolis on cookie sheets before placing them in the freezer
bags. If you don't do one of these things, the ravioli will have a tendency
to cling and tear when you unthaw them, which makes them quite a mess!).
The ravioli's are best when tossed with a tomato sauce, or a cheesy-creamy
Alfredo sauce. However, there are so many sauce variations that it would be
impossible to list them all here. But you can create your own version by
experimenting with combinations such as herbs and cheese; nut sauces; meat
and vegetarian sauces. The fillings can be just as original - try ground
turkey or chicken, pureed vegetables or sausage. The dough can be flavored
with a touch of pumpkin, tomato, herbs or spinach as well.
The possibilities and combinations are endless. Once you're comfortable with
the whole process of making ravioli's the "hard way," trying different
variations can become a very enjoyable task. You might not always have the
time or inclination to make homemade ravioli's, but when you do, you'll find
yourself wondering (for the 100th time), why you don't do it more often. The
taste simply cant be beat!
Shenanchie
Recipe