Homemade Cheese Ravioli

(Pasta Dough Recipe slightly adapted from Molto Mario, by Mario Batali)

(Filling adapted from my Grandmother’s recipe)

For the Pasta Dough:

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.

For the Filling:

Thoroughly mix all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Cover & set aside in the fridge until you are ready to fill your ravioli.

To make the Ravioli:

Cut the dough into 4 pieces, wrap 3 of them up again in plastic and set aside. Flatten the piece of dough into a burger shape that is somewhat thicker in the middle and about 1/4 inch thick at the edges. Set the rollers of the pasta machine to the widest setting. Dust the rollers with flour to make sure they are completely dry. Using one hand, crank the handle to start the rollers, and feed the dough in with your other hand. As the flattened piece of dough emerges, catch it gently with a flat palm so as not to tear it. Fold the dough into thirds, flatten it slightly with your palms and roll it out again. Repeat this process 5 times, then set the rollers to the next-thinnest setting and repeat the folding and rolling process 6 times. At the third setting, repeat the process 3 times, since the dough will have become more delicate. As you work, dust the pasta dough with flour. If you are working on a wooden cutting board, you should be able to see the grain of the board through your pasta. That is when you know it’s thin enough.

Flour a 4 inch round cutter and start cutting your pasta. Place less than a tablespoon of the ricotta filling into the center of each ravioli round. Lightly moisten the edges of the ravioli with water, fold over one side of the round to make a half moon and press out any air that’s been trapped inside. Crimp the edges with a small fork and place on a floured baking sheet. Repeat process until all the dough & filling is used.

When you are cooking the ravioli in a large pot of salted water, they should take about 5-8 minutes til they’re done. If you are cooking them from a frozen state (like I did) 10-11 minutes should be your range. Make sure there’s enough room for them to move around (so they don’t stick). The general rule for ravioli is that they are done when they float to the top.

Shutterbean Notes: