RAVIOLI di RICOTTA

By October 09, 2017 ,

  








RAVIOLI di RICOTTA

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I like challenges. Things that I've never done before.

For me today, this was ravioli. 

If you ever drop by my place spontaneously and I offer to whip up a meal for you, 9/10 times it will be Italian food. It's something that I will always have supplies for in my pantry. It's quick, delicious and so versatile. 

Because my usual repertoire is limited to the simple manicotti, lasagna or the even less-fuss spaghetti, I decided to expand myself and venture out into the world of ravioli, which I knew would be a challenge and a half. 

They look unassuming enough, tender pockets of pasta stuffed with the the yummiest of fillings. Mushroom and spinach, basil and tomato feta, if you can name it, you can probably stuff it!

The problem with ravioli is that as simple as it appears, there's actually a lot of technique involved. Firstly, the pasta must be rolled out to the perfect thickness - not too thin, not too thick. Enough that it'll hold the filling together, but not so much that you feel like you're biting into a perogie. Secondly, the seal is important, you want a firm seal that is even around the filling. And lastly, you want to cook your ravioli just so that it's perfectly al dente. 

Since this was my first time making ravioli, I decided to keep it simple. A honey ricotta filling with basil, tossed in a browned butter butternut squash sauce. 

Although it took me an entire 5 hours to make, because clearly I have nothing else to do with my time these days, it was completely worth it. Canoe's Lobster Agnolotti is a tough one to beat, but these turned out better than I expected. More importantly, going through the process was a really good experience and a fun hands on project. 

My pasta sheets were a little thicker than I would have liked, mainly because I hand rolled each one, but I will toot my own horn and say the filling was excellent and the sauce was surperb - would definitely recommend!

At the end of the night, my dinner guests left tummies filled and very satisfied. Good conversation, good company and good food.

If you want to try this out yourself, I've left the recipe down below.

Invest in a pasta roller though, if you don't want sore arms like me.

naomi



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Naomi's Ravioli di Ricotta

Stuffing

2 cups ricotta
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh shredded basil
2 tbsp honey
2 Eggs
pinch of salt and pepper

Pasta Sheet

4 cups all purpose flour
3 Eggs
Olive oil

Browned Butter Sauce

1.5 cups cubed butternut squash
1/4 cup butter

sprinkle of fresh sage and parmesan shavings to finish 


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