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Last week Jack was scheduled for a medical test at the crack of dawn, a routine procedure, but a tad annoying. Not only did we have to leave the house while it was barely light, but he couldn’t have anything to eat after midnight.
We thought about having dinner the night before at a more European hour (say 9:30 instead of our usual 6:30) and then agreed we’d be starving if we waited that long for our evening meal. Then Jack suggested a menu that would solve the problem: pasta.
Spaghetti dinners before race day have long been a staple of training regimens. The complex carbohydrates in whole-grain pastas take longer to digest than the simple starches. Jack wasn’t running a marathon, just postponing breakfast until lunchtime; pasta would help keep his hunger pangs at bay.
It seemed lazy to open a box of dried pasta, so I decided to make homemade ravioli. I had all basic ingredients inclduing a two-piece ravioli mold: a metal tray with squares marked in serrated edges and a plastic form with a series of depressions to match.
My intentions were good, but the project did not go swimmingly. My first mistake was to use my pasta machine to mix the dough. I ended up with a soggy mess on one side of the mixing container and a pile of bone-dry flour on the other. I was forced to dump out everything and finish mixing by hand. Now that I had the dough, it was time to run it through the rollers.
I finished the first length of pasta, thin and elastic and exactly the same width as the ravioli mold. The next piece was not cooperating and I ended up with a lump of dough clogging the roller mechanism. Quickly thinking, I removed the excess dough and placed a dish towel near the mess on the roller, hoping that when I turned on the machine, the towel would collect the problem lumps. Unfortunately, I had read neither the machine’s instruction manual nor “Ravioli-making for Dummies” and the next thing I knew, the towel was dragged between the rollers, which then refused to turn.
At that point I was ready to forgo the whole thing and open that box of dried pasta.
Fortunately, Jack has more patience than I; he spent the next 20 minutes coaxing out the jammed towel, using a combination of scissors and brute force. We were back in business. From then on, things went more smoothly and I learned a few tricks.
When you place the dough over the metal mold, leave enough slack for the plastic piece to indent the dough without breaking it. (Also, make the depressions with the plastic piece from above the serrated-edge side of the metal frame – not below, the misstep seen in the photo of filled ravioli on the mold). Spritz a little cooking spray on both sections of the mold to keep the dough from sticking.
Make sure your filling mixture isn’t too watery (drain the ricotta cheese, squeeze out the spinach) and don’t put too much in the pockets. Before you place the second sheet of pasta over the filled sheet, brush the edges with an egg wash or water to make sure they’ll seal. Press hard with the rolling pin and you’ll cut out perfect ravioli.
The final results were well worth the effort. The lovely little dumplings cooked up beautifully and offered the perfect base for a delicate tomato sauce. And Jack’s results were perfect, too; he wasn’t too hungry the next morning, and his test came back normal.
Fresh Pasta
3 C semolina flour
4 eggs
2-3 T water
1 t salt
Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; blend just until mixture forms a ball, adding a few drops of water, if too dry. Process 15 seconds to knead; mixture should be firm and smooth. Allow to rest under an inverted bowl for 30 to 45 minutes. Using a pasta machine, roll strips until desired thickness. Use the strips for ravioli (below) or lasagna; use the pasta machine’s cutting blades for fettuccine or linguine. Cook in rapidly boiling water for approximately 3 minutes.
Spinach Ravioli
10-oz package frozen spinach
1 C ricotta cheese
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t nutmeg
1 recipe homemade pasta (above)
Defrost and thoroughly drain the spinach, squeezing to remove all liquid. Combine with remaining ingredients (except pasta); set aside. Run the pasta dough through the pasta machine to create thin sheets about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide. If using a ravioli mold, place one sheet on the metal frame, serrated side up. Place the plastic form over the pasta and press gently to create indentations and remove. Fill each depression with about 1 t of filling; moisten pasta around the edges and place a second sheet over the filling. With a rolling pin, press the pasta against the serrated edges to cut out ravioli. To make ravioli without a mold, place one sheet on a flat surface and place 1 teaspoon of filling in two columns, lengthwise, about 2 inches apart. Lightly brush the pasta sheet around the filling to moisten. Place a second sheet over the filling and use a fluted pastry wheel to cut out squares of ravioli. Cook ravioli in boiling water until they float to the surface, about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with butter or sauce and grated parmesan; garnish with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.
Mushroom Ravioli
2/3 C finely chopped mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 C ricotta cheese, drained
2 T finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
1 recipe homemade pasta (above)
Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil until all their moisture has been evaporated, add the garlic and cook for a few moments to soften. Mix with the remaining ingredients (except pasta). Use the mixture to fill ravioli (see above). Serve with walnut pesto (below) and parmesan cheese.
Walnut Pesto
2/3 C walnuts, shelled and chopped finely
1/4 C olive oil
1garlic clove
3 T Parmesan cheese
pepper, to taste
Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. To serve, heat briefly in a skillet and toss with cooked pasta.
Send comments, questions or recipe ideas to Denise Clemons.
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