Tuesday, June 21, 2011

homemade four cheese ravioli

i wanted to make my own ravioli, thought it would be extra tasty
they turned out quite large, and they were delicious, but i'm not 100% sure that i'll be changing to homemade as opposed to store-bought. sometimes things are just easier when you buy them! but for an extra special meal, try making these!
i had a bit of trouble mastering the filling to dough ratio.. but with some practice i'm sure i'd get it.

here's the recipe!

dough:
2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp water

mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. pour half the egg mixture into the well. begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.
knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. refrigerate for 1 hour.

filling:
1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

while the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. combine the filling ingredients, mix well. set the filling aside.

roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets, no thicker than a nickel. to assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash (1 egg & 1 tbsp water beaten together) over a sheet of pasta. drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. press firmly around the filling to seal. cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. seal the edges.

fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. drain well.

grease a baking sheet. place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in a preheated (375) oven until brown, about 4 minutes.

to serve, top with a sauce of your choice & enjoy!

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