Home-made Ravioli

[shesus]

I love ravioli. However, we're watching our sodium intake so pre-made/processed food is pretty much out. This has motivated me to make my own ravioli.

I'm going to look for ravioli paraphernalia today. I have a basic pasta recipe that I'm going to play around with. I would like to make a chipotle black bean, ravioli, cheese ravioli (of course), chicken, or other veggie types.

So, does anyone has tips, trick, and/or recipes for concocting delicious, home-made raviolis and/or accompanying home-made sauces?

[777]

A friend of mine gave me a marinara sause recipe. It's the best stuff I've ever made! Just so you know, it takes a day to make, since you have to let it simmer in a slow-cooker (like a Crockpot) over night. But trust me, it's worth it :-D

[Anxst]

I always like to serve my raviolos with the simplest sauce imaginable, so the pasta and filling really shine. I usually just open a big can of whole plum tomatoes, throw that in a pan with a good 2 glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Cook that down until you can smash up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon, so it's nice and saucy. If you have some good grape tomatoes that are fresh, quarter a few and throw them in. Salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, tear up and toss in a good fistful of fresh basil, and swirl it in so it wilts into the sauce. Pour over ravioli. Consume.

Super simple. Bright and tomatoey. Mmmmmm.

[noodle]

I break open a Fresh Market chicken sausage and saute with really finely chopped onion and orange bell pepper and garlic in my chili pot or a big saucepan. I always make sure to break up the sausage while it's browning into the smallest pieces it'll cooperate itself into, just to make the sauce less lumpy if I'm using anything other than spaghetti. I add two to three cans of organic diced tomatoes with oregano and basil (one drained, one with juice), two chopped fresh tomatoes and oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, sriracha, salt and pepper to taste. I cook it down for about 30 - 40 minutes. I fool around with that basic recipe depending on the flavor I want and freeze the leftovers. Sometimes toss in some torn up fresh spinach 15 minutes before it's done or add in some kind of chili powder to spice it up more.

[ColonelSpecial]

I have only made ravioli twice but learned a bit between the two attempts.

The first recipe I had called to make smaller raviolis. I was putting way too much filling in them so they kept bursting the side seams. I learned that larger squares or rounds of dough with a smaller amount of filling kept them from busting through. Crimping is also very important. If there are gaps in the crimp, the filling becomes water logged or falls out. Neither is good! I use a fork to crimp but roll the tines from the bottom of the edge of the dough to the top with light pressure to make sure it is crimped but not pricked by the ends of the fork.

I like to use two squares/rounds of dough and crimp then together rather than one piece that you could fold over to make half round raviolis. They come together more easily for me.

I usually keep it simple when dressing raviolis, either homemade or storebought. I melt butter and oil together in a pan with garlic, a very minced onion, basil, oregano. Saute that together then put the cooked raviolis in the pan and cook until coated.

[guyy]

I fill them with a mixture of parsley & ricotta. I also throw in a good heap of parmesan (the real stuff) + some nutmeg. I use an egg or two for a binder.

I think swiss chard would make a nice filler, too.

[Daval]

Here is the dough recipe I use:-

2 cups (about 10 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 eggs
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
A few drops of water, if needed
1 teaspoon salt

---------- Post added at 08:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 AM ----------

And my all time favourite filling is a Beet & Ricotta mix:-

4 large or 8 medium roasted beets
2 eggs
1/2 cup ricotta, preferably fresh, drained briefly
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, or more to taste
Fresh Sage

1. Put the beets in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the plastic blade and process until they're finely chopped (or chop them finely with a knife or pastry cutter). Transfer to a large bowl and add the eggs, ricotta, and H cup of the melted butter; stir to combine. Season liberally with salt and pepper, stir, taste, and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

2. To make the ravioli: Lay a length of rolled pasta out on a counter lightly dusted with flour and place small teaspoonfuls of the filling evenly on half of the dough, about 1 inch apart. Brush some water between the mounds of filling so the dough will stick together, and fold the unfilled half of the dough over onto the other, carefully pressing outward from the filling to the edges of the pasta, eliminating any pockets of air. Cut between the ravioli with a pastry wheel or sharp paring knife, and keep the ravioli separate from each other until you are ready to cook. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil and turn the oven on to its lowest setting; warm 4 pasta bowls in it.

3. Drop the ravioli into the boiling salted water, cooking them in batches if necessary. They will take about 3 minutes to cook. When they're done, they will float, the filling will be firm, and the pasta tender.

4. Portion the ravioli out among the warmed pasta plates. Pour some of the remaining melted butter over each portion, sprinkle with fresh sage, grate Parmigiano- Reggiano generously over each to taste. Serve immediately.



The other filling I use is the exact same as above, but I use roasted butternut squash instead of the beets.


These are freaking awesome.

[shesus]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, keep them coming. I'm copying them and keeping them for future reference.

I'm going to make my first attempt on Saturday. I'm still compiling and piecing together ideas. I'm working on a chipotle sauce at the moment.

[genuinegirly]

Originally Posted by noodle

I break open a Fresh Market chicken sausage and saute with really finely chopped onion and orange bell pepper and garlic in my chili pot or a big saucepan. I always make sure to break up the sausage while it's browning into the smallest pieces it'll cooperate itself into, just to make the sauce less lumpy if I'm using anything other than spaghetti. I add two to three cans of organic diced tomatoes with oregano and basil (one drained, one with juice), two chopped fresh tomatoes and oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, sriracha, salt and pepper to taste. I cook it down for about 30 - 40 minutes. I fool around with that basic recipe depending on the flavor I want and freeze the leftovers. Sometimes toss in some torn up fresh spinach 15 minutes before it's done or add in some kind of chili powder to spice it up more.

Noodle, you're writing food porn. I don't eat meat and I'm drooling.

[guyy]

I like to do it myself, but sometimes i'm pressed for time. In those situations, wonton wrappers make OK ravioli skins.