Ravioli Revolution...

My kids love ravioli - or 'pillows' as they like to refer to them. I enjoy making them too but it's not something I do very often and I actually should. They taste much better, it's MUCH cheaper and there's a certain satisfaction you get from both creating them and eating them.

We received a baccarat pasta maker (well it's a pasta roller really - as per pic at right) for a wedding present from the lovely Kat and Danie - and it's been used about a dozen times since we were married just over 5.5 years ago. I think we'll be using it a lot more this winter. It's sturdy and heavy and you clamp it onto the kitchen bench - it comes with the attachment to make spaghetti and fettucine.
Pasta machines don't need to be expensive - I see on the Victoria's basement website you can get a RED one at the moment for only $30! Bargain (and beautiful!)

So here's my beef ravioli recipe - I think I'll add a few more recipes as I try/re-try them out (Pumpkin and Sage yumm)..

Pasta recipe:

Pasta Ingredients

- 3 cups flour - MUST be pasta flour - it's really a waste of time otherwise - you can get Tipo 00 flour at the supermarkets these days - if you can't find it there, you should find it at a deli.

- 3 eggs

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tb olive oil

- 1/2 cup warm water - on standby.

Beef Ravioli Filling (simply mix together in bowl)

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese

2/3 cup beef mince (top side for best quality)

1 egg

Method

- Put flour and salt in a bowl and make a well.

- Add the eggs and olive oil in the well, and mix well with fingers. If it's a little dry, add water little by little until it makes a pliable dough - knead on a floured surface (Tipo 00 flour) for about 6-8 minutes until dough become elastic-like.

- Set aside for about 20 mins.

- Roll out into say 6 separate 'sausages' - I put it through the pasta machine on 7 thickness first, then re-flour and then do at a 5 setting and then finally again at a 3 setting (7 is thicker than 3) It should then be a long thin panel of pasta about 10cm wide.

- Put the filling mixture in say 1.5cm diameter balls across the panel (towards one edge) and then fold in half over itself. Press down between the balls to seal the mixture and cut between to make squares, press down again around edges to ensure filling will not escape and lightly dust with flour and stand aside.

- Repeat this until all the pasta/filling is gone. Dogs love the filling if you don't use it all ! (I had about 2 tb left!)
- I then boil water in a large stockpot/pasta boiler and plop the ravioli in about 6 pieces at a time, then let boil for about 10 minutes, they will rise to the top of the pot and then transfer to your pasta sauce.

I use a standard type bolognaise - fry off onion, crushed garlic, brown some mince, add passata mix or if I don't have any, can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can equivalent of water, 2tb of tomato paste and chopped herbs - 6 basil leaves, 1 sprig of oregano and 3 stalks of italian parsley - plus the all-important-ingredient - a good splash of merlot.

I then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Gives you opportunity to clean up and pack away some of the uncooked of the ravioli into the freezer (I put in tupperware with freezer bags between each layer of ravioli) - I fed 3 adults and 3 children using this recipe and had about 1/5 of the ravioli left - good for the kids for an extra meal but you might choose to cook the lot and have leftovers... or split it in half for 2 adults and 2 children.

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