Ravioli - the perfect food

Scout would have wanted me to not be sad, and to get into the kitchen again, where we both loved to hang out. He was particularly skilled at cleaning up the floor. The shortest measurable time period was from when the food hit the floor to when Scout leapt to his feet to scramble over and Hoover it up. Cheese was a special favorite. With that thought in mind, we made veal ravioli last weekend, and pizza the weekend before.

Having a 20-quart Hobart at the bakery for all the dough is a blessing and a curse - it makes the process so simple, but the capacity is so large that you have to make like a quintuple batch just to give the mixer something to work with. Which comes up to something like 10 eggs and 10 cups of flour for the pasta dough - yield is about 4-5 pounds of fresh dough. And pizza for a small army.

Both were yummy - the pasta dough needs to be thinner next time, though the thicker dough was easy to work with and prevented filling leakage. The pizza was nearly perfect - I have the dough and the toppings nailed, but continue my quest for the perfect sauce.

Fresh Pasta

2 cups flour

2 eggs

3-6 T water

Mix in a stand mixer until the dough pulls together and forms a ball - it should be firm and dry-ish, but not crumbly - too little water and it doesn't hold together, too much and you end up adding tons more flour when you roll it out. Let the pasta dough rest for 20 minutes, covered. Then divide into four pieces and process through a pasta machine (at home I use a small hand cranked Atlas) until desired thickness is reached.

Filling for ravioli

1 lb. ground veal

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stick, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 lb ricotta

1/4 c parmesan

salt, pepper, fresh thyme - to taste

Sautee the diced veggies in olive oil - add the ground veal and cook until done. Cool. Put in food processer and pulse lightly to make fine crumbles. Put into a bowl and add the cheeses and seasonings. Use as a filling for ravioli, or manicotti, or stuffed shells.

Sauce at your discretion - chopped fresh tomatoes, butter and oil, etc.

Ravioli ala Bunker

Far and away the best ravioli I've ever made - and I didn't even have to make them! A collaborative effort (read - Lisa bossing others around in the kitchen) with Gary and Tarri and Matt. These used a tomato pasta, just for the fun red color, but you could use plain or spinach as well.


Tomato Pasta
3 cups flour - all-purpose, unbleached
3 eggs
3 oz. (1/2 small can) tomato paste

To make the pasta, combine the ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor and process until well combined - it will be moist and mealy and hold together well - add a few drops of water if it seems dry - better too moist because you can always work extra flour in, but if it's too dry it's never going to be right. Roll it into sheets using a manual pasta maker (Atlas), and then fill with the herbed ricotta and walnut filling below, using a ravioli maker - actually just the plaque that lets you fill and form them by hand. So, even though they call it a ravioli MAKER, it doesn't really make them for you . . . . I have never used any of the other kinds though, and this is way better than shaping and cutting them individually. . . .

Herbed Ricotta Filling with Walnuts

1 -12 oz container of ricotta - firm/drained
a handful (3/4 c.) of fresh mixed herbs - we used flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme, chervil and basil
a handful of walnuts
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the herbs are finely minced and the walnuts are no longer chunky. Fill ravioli. These need to boil for about 2-4 minutes. Serve with cream sauce and additional parmesan cheese - sprinkle with chopped parsley if you want.

Was finally able to post additional pictures - here is the ricotta we used, and the basket of fresh herbs! Absolutely use lemon thyme, it was fantastic!