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How to Make Homemade Ravioli: Dough, Shapes and Filling
Making homemade ravioli is an art, starting from the perfect rolling out of the sheet of pasta with a rolling pin - or with a machine specially designed for homemade pasta - to the filling and finally to the wrapping.Making homemade pasta is a great way to make special occasions unique and to bring tasty and delicious dishes to the table.It doesn't take much time, just the right techniques.
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 150 g flour - 1 cup, “00” soft wheat flour
- 150 g semolina flour - 1 cup of durum wheat flour (semolina flour) + more for dusting
- 3 eggs - at least 70 g (2,5 oz) each. Fresh homemade pasta usually wants 1 egg x 100 g (¾ cup) of flour
FOR THE FILLING:
- 300 g ricotta cheese - ~¾ pound of
- 400 g spinach - ~1 pound of, cleaned
- 5-6 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano cheese - grated
- nutmeg to taste
- 1 egg
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
FOR THE SEASONING
- 70 g butter ⅔ stick, unsalted
- 4-5 sage leaves fresh
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated
Instructions
The Filling
- Clean the spinach and boil them in a pot for about 10 minutes with only the water left over from washing. Drain and squeeze well with a fork or your hands to remove all the water.
- Finely chop the spinach with kitchen scissors or a knife. The ricotta must also be very dry. To remove the water, put the ricotta in a sieve for a few minutes. Finally, mix the ricotta with the spinach.
- Place them in a bowl and add the egg and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- To finish, nutmeg to taste, salt and pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Transfer everything to a pastry bag without a nozzle. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a teaspoon. Set aside in the refrigerator for the time being - we are about to prepare the homemade pasta dough.
The Dough
- Place the flours on a work surface, mix them and create a hole in the center with your hands. Break the eggs and place them into the hole.
- Continue mixing the flour into the eggs - at this point the dough will begin to form granules. Continue to work the ingredients with your fingers until you have incorporated all the flour into the eggs.
- With your hands full, begin to work it. Pull it back and forth with the palm of your hand for a few minutes. Using a spatula, remove the dough from the board, scrape off any dough that has stuck to the surface, and start kneading again. Flour the surface if you see the dough sticking. Knead vigorously for at least 10 MINUTES.
- Finally, form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap to protect it from drafts, and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so that it loses elasticity and softens a bit.
- Dust your work surface with some flour, using THE SEMOLINA (that's important!). Take a lump of pasta dough the size of a tennis ball and press it out flat with the palms of your hands. Set the knob of the sheeter to level 1 and speed 2 on your pasta machine. Put the dough in the rollers and pass it the first time.
- Now you need to make the folds. So, fold the dough in half, and then in half again.
- Flour with semolina and pass it through the rollers again. Repeat 2 or 3 times (fold/pass - fold/pass), until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Remember to flour the pasta sheet with semolina flour whenever you feel it's sticky. If the sheet of dough becomes too long, cut it in half.
- Turn the knob of the sheeter to position 2, again at speed 2, and repeat the steps, to further roll out the dough. DO NOT make any more folds and start thinning the dough by running it through the smooth roller at least a couple of times.
- From position 2 move to position 3 and repeat. Roll the dough again between the rollers, gradually reducing the thickness until it's about 1-2 mm; if the dough is too wet, you can lightly dust it with semolina. The pasta to make ravioli should be about 1-2 millimeters thick. So stop at position 4 if you like thick pasta. If you prefer thinner pasta, roll it out to #5.
Making the Ravioli
- Place the pasta sheet on a floured surface (with semolina flour). Follow the same procedure to roll out the second sheet of dough. Meanwhile, cover the first sheet with a tea towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
- Place the filling on one of the pasta sheets, spacing the piles about 3 cm (1.20 inch) apart and leaving an outer edge of about 1.5 cm (~⅔ inch) free.
- Moisten the sheet with water using a brush or sprayer. Then cover the piles of filling with the other sheet of pasta.
- Gently press the edges with your fingers to seal the dough. Press lightly with your fingers around the filling to release any air. If bubbles form, you can pierce them with a toothpick.
- Finally, trim the edges with a ravioli cutter wheel to make ravioli with an edge of about 1.5 cm (~⅔ inch). Place the ricotta and spinach ravioli on a semolina-dusted surface.
- Cook ravioli in plenty of salted water
- Season with sage butter sauce and sprinkle with grated parmigiano
Nutrition
Calories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 25gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 546mgPotassium: 560mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 7086IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 444mgIron: 5mg
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