Ricotta Ravioli
Ravioli are typical all throughout Italy, but they are a specialty in Sicily, where they are commonly prepared with sheep’s milk ricotta.
Course: Dinner
Keyword: pasta, ravioli, ricotta
Servings: 40 ravioli
Author: Melissa Muller
Hard Wheat Pasta Dough with Egg:
- 1 pound remilled hard wheat semola flour, plus more for kneading
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, beated
Ravioli:
- 1 recipe Hard Wheat Pasta
- Filling of choice
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- Remilled semola flour, for dusting the work surface and ravioli
Spiced Sweet Ricotta Filling:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound strained ricotta
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh marjoram
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup grated ragusano cheese
Minted Ricotta Filling:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 pound strained ricotta
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
Hard Wheat Pasta with Egg:
Place the flour in a mound on a clean work surface
and create a deep indentation in the center. Add
the beaten eggs and salt to the indentation and mix
the flour and eggs with a fork. Pay careful attention
that the egg does not spill out of the mound of flour.
Continue to draw flour from the sides of the well
until all of the flour is incorporated with the eggs.
Once the dough becomes thicker and starts sticking
to your fingers, knead the dough with both hands
and form it into a single mass. Continue kneading
on a lightly floured surface, until the dough becomes
smooth and elastic-like in texture, about 10 minutes.
Use a pastry scraper to remove any dough that sticks
to the work surface.
If the dough feels to dry and is not fully sticking
together, add a touch of water. If the dough feels too
wet and pasty, add some more flour. In either case, add
a little at a time. Form the dough into a ball, cover with
a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for about 1 hour at
room temperature.
Roll the dough and shape it into the cut of your
choice, such as tagliolini, lasagne, or tagliatelle.
Ravioli:
Roll out the dough into eight 8 by 25-inch sheets
with a hand-cranked pasta machine. Place the sheets on a lightly
floured work surface.
Spoon 10 mounds of the filling by the tablespoon
onto one sheet of pasta, keeping the mounds 3 inches
away from each other. The filling should be in rounded
mounds that take up no more than 2 inches of space.
Brush a thin layer of the beaten egg yolks in a circle
around each mound. Place a second sheet of pasta
directly on top. Use your fingertips to gently press
together the top sheet and the bottom sheet in the
egg-washed spots that surround the mounds of filling.
The egg will help the top and bottom sheets stick
to each other. Using a hand-held ravioli cutter, cut out ravioli shapes one by one,
pressing down on the dough surrounding the mounds
of filling so that the filling is contained. Repeat with
the remaining 6 sheets of pasta and the filling to make
about 40 ravioli.
Dust the ravioli with flour, spread them out on
a baking sheet, and let them sit for 30 minutes. If
the kitchen is hot, place the baking sheet in the
refrigerator. The ravioli can be held in the refrigerator
for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 week.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Delicately place
the ravioli in the boiling water in batches. Cook until
the ravioli float to the top of the pot, usually about
2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked
ravioli to their sauce and cook for another minute in
the sauce before serving.
Spiced Sweet Ricotta Filling:
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and salt.
Add the ricotta, marjoram, cinnamon, and grated
cheese and mix well with a rubber spatula. Store
covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Excerpted from Sicily: The Cookbook, Recipes Rooted in Traditions © 2017 By Melissa Muller. Published By Rizzoli.
Excerpted from Sicily: The Cookbook, Recipes Rooted in Traditions © 2017 By Melissa Muller. Published By Rizzoli.