Too moist, too dry, too salty? Next time will be better.
For the most part, cooking is a very forgiving science, so use the recipes as guidelines until you’ve perfected a version that suits your needs and tastes.
PART ONE
DOUGH
The concept couldn’t be simpler. Take some dough, any dough, wrap it around a tasty morsel of meat, cheese, vegetable, or any combination thereof, and then fry, bake, boil or braise it until the dough is cooked and the filling is succulent. I have a feeling this has been going on in kitchens from one end of the globe to the other for millennia.
Once I started making my own ravioli, I realized what a labor of love it was for my mother to sit for hours rolling out dough, portioning the filling, sealing and crimping. Only then did I finally get it. It is the labor and the love that make these tasty treats so much more than just something to eat. Just like the Asian families who gather around the table to make mountains of dumplings to celebrate the New Year, the value of these dishes is in the sharing.
I encourage you to try these recipes as group projects. Make an assembly line of fillers and crimpers and make batch after batch of memories that will last much longer than the recipes themselves.
Butternut Squash Ravioli
4 dinner servings or 6 first courses
Ravioli are the kind of labor intensive foods that you only want to make by hand for the people you love. My mom would make them on special occasions but we were fortunate to have several places in our neighborhood where we could buy fresh pasta. I love to make the butternut squash version in the fall when there are plenty of squash to be had at the farmers’ markets. The butter/sage sauce contains the essence of fall flavor.
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH:
2 cups semolina
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water
FILLING:
One medium to small butternut squash
¼ cup mascarpone or goat cheese
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 grating of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
SAUCE:
1 stick butter
8 sage leaves
STEPS
1. For the dough: Put all ingredients except the water into a food processor. Pulse until blended. Turn on and slowly add water until a dough ball forms. Remove from the processor and knead into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put cut side down on a piece of buttered aluminum foil on a baking pan. Bake for one hour until very soft. Allow to cool.
4. For the filling: Scrape out the squash and spread it on the baking sheet. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes until the pulp is drier. Remove from the oven and cool. Put the squash pulp into a food processor with the other filling ingredients and process until smooth. This should make about 2 cups of filling. Refrigerate until ready to fill the ravioli.
5. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Take one piece at a time and coat liberally with semolina flour. Roll out into a 4-inch-wide strip using a flat rolling pin or a pasta roller. If you are using a ravioli mold, lay the first sheet over the mold. Fill each slot with about 1 tablespoon of the filling. I usually brush some water along the edges to help the ravioli seal. Cover with a second layer of dough. Use your rolling pin to gently press and seal the two layers together.
6. If you don’t have a ravioli mold, you can simply lay out a strip of dough 4 × 12 inches. Place tablespoons of the filling at even intervals about 1/4 inch from the near long edge and starting about 1/4 inch from the side. Brush some water on the dough around the filling and fold the dough over. Carefully press between the mounds to seal. Cut the individual ravioli and crimp well along the three sides.
7. Gently add the ravioli to a pot of boiling water. When the water comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the ravioli are floating. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet and when melted add the sage leaves. Cook gently just until the butter begins to brown. Add the cooked and drained ravioli and stir gently to coat. Serve with additional grated cheese.
Cheese Ravioli
4 dinner servings or 6 first courses
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH:
2 cups semolina
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water
FILLING:
1 pound ricotta
1 egg
½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
4 tablespoons chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley
Salt and pepper
STEPS
1. For the dough: Put all ingredients except the water into a food processor. Pulse until blended. Turn on and slowly add water until a dough ball forms. Remove from the processor and knead into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. For the filling: Beat the ricotta cheese with the egg until well combined. Stir in the grated cheese, salt (not too much because the cheese is naturally salty) and pepper. Chop the parsley coarse or fine and fold into mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Take one piece at a time and coat liberally with semolina flour.
