Ravioli Recipes

Dough for Ravioli

(From Beard on Pasta)

4 cups of flour (preferably durum or semolina)

1 tsp of salt                                                           

3 eggs

6 egg yolks

2 tablespoons water

Make a mound of flour and salt, open a hollow in its center, break in the eggs, yolks, and water, and then combine with a fork until you are forced to continue mixing by hand.

When you have formed the dough into a rough ball and cleaned off the table you begin the fraisage. Pull off walnut-sized pieces of dough, and push them away from you using the heal of your hand, smearing them on the work surface one at a time. When all of the dough has been worked this way, gather the bits back into a ball, using the pastry scraper to help. The fraisage will have blended the flour and fat so that the dough can be kneaded. Knead well and let rest for 1 to 2 hours before you roll out. I use about 3-4 ounces of dough for each sheet (top and bottom).

This dough keeps very well so if you don’t want to use all of it right away, just refrigerate it, wrapped in plastic, and tear off a piece as wanted; it will keep for several days.

Spinach Ravioli Filling

Stuffing:

2 ½ pounds of fresh spinach, or two 10 ounce packages of frozen spinach

1 large clove of garlic

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup ricotta cheese

½ teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon of salt

Sauce:

½ cup butter, melted

¼ pound Gruyere cheese, grated

½ cup chopped parsley

Plunge the spinach into boiling water, let wilt for 1 minute, and drain. Place it in a hand towel and squeeze out all the liquid. If you use frozen spinach, defrost it and squeeze it dry in the same manner. Combine the spinach with the garlic, nutmeg, ricotta, Tabasco, and salt in the beaker of a food processor, and process until you have a smooth paste.

Roll out the pasta dough into 2 rectangular sheets. Drop tiny bits of filling, about ½ teaspoon each, at regular intervals across one sheet of pasta. Lay the second sheet over it and, using your fingertip, press down between the mounds of filling, forming squares. Cut along the edges of the squares with a pastry cutter, and seal the edges closed with the tines of a fork. 

 (Alternatively, you can use a ravioli tray).

Four Cheese Ravioli

(From Pasta, Risotto & You)

By Nancy Caivano

For filling:
6 oz ricotta
6 oz provolone, grated
6 oz mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, (or parmesan)
3 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp basil, finely chopped
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper

Prepare filling:
Combine ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, Romano, eggs, parsley, basil and chives in a large bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.